Financial Inclusion has not only been a major goal of policy in developing countries, but it has also become one of the central issues among them. In some instances, however, the simple provision of financial services to previously unserved areas has not led to the promised and lasting benefits for the local population. For this reason, the present paper focuses on the issue of financial inclusion in Haryana, India, and the impact of structural barriers, trust in institutions, and digital access upon it. The paper is based on primary data collected from both city and village dwellers. The study was based on empirical analysis and quantitative methods. Reliabilities analysis and exploratory factor analysis were implemented to illustrate the multifaceted nature of financial inclusion barriers, afterwards regression testing was done to validate their impact on the same.
The findings indicate that the factors like intricate processes, heavy documentation, difficult access, and costly transactions have a severe impact on people's engagement with the formal financial sector. Trust in institutions, however, becomes a major factor that encourages a practice by people to participate in the financial system and the main reasons for the frequent participation are the openness and the effective grievance redressal. Although digital access is usually beneficial to the improvement of financial inclusion, its impact varies by region because of the differences in infrastructure, digital literacy, and security problems. The paper thus indicates the large difference between rural and urban areas and proves that financial exclusion is still a consequence of the combination of structural, institutional, and technological barriers.
The study results deliver a strong message regarding the need for an integrated, trust-building and digitally inclusive policy strategies that can help to achieve effective financial inclusion.
Keywords: Financial Inclusion Barriers, Institutional Trust, Digital Financial Access, Financial Exclusion.
How to cite this article: Monga R, Sharma V. Barriers, trust, and digital access: examining financial inclusion challenges in Haryana's financial sector. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(2s): 70-79; DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.2s.8
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None