The role of financial technology and financial inclusion in sustainable governance and performance: A systematic review of global insights

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Abstract

The study aspires to examine the relationship between financial technology (FinTech) and financial inclusion (FI) on sustainable performance, focusing on global insights. FinTech has transformed the financial landscape by promoting FI, especially in marginalized groups. Through a systematic literature review (SLR), this study analyzes bibliographic data from Scopus, Web of Science (WOS), and Google Scholar. A keyword-based search yielded 1944 articles, from which 371 were selected after a rigorous screening process. Findings highlight that FinTech and sustainable finance positively affect corporate financial performance, especially in the services, while FI uniquely contributes to sustained corporate growth. Our findings suggest a future direction for how FI derives sustainable performance by overcoming financial obstacles. Evidence shows that FinTech and inclusive finance practices can reduce costs, improve capital access, uplift brand value, and support environmental compliance. The paper recommends policies for effective risk-minimized FinTech use and encourages further quantitative and qualitative research in this field.

Keywords: FinTech, Financial Inclusion, Sustainable Finance, Sustainable Performance, Global Scenario Analysis, Digital Banking

Authors’ individual contribution: Conceptualization — P.G., M.M.I., and S.U.; Methodology — R.H. and M.M.I.; Software — M.M.H.; Validation — U.K.A.; Formal Analysis — M.A.J.R.; Investigation — M.M.I.; Resources — M.M.I.; Data Curation — M.A.J.R.; Writing — Original Draft — P.G., M.M.I., and S.U.; Writing — Review & Editing — R.H., M.A.J.R., M.M.H., and M.M.I.; Visualization — R.H.; Supervision — R.H.; Project Administration — M.A.J.R. and M.M.H.; Funding Acquisition — P.G., R.H., and M.M.I.

Declaration of conflicting interests: The Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

JEL Classification: G2, G32, G21, F14, F60

Received: 09.09.2024
Revised: 10.11.2024; 06.02.2025; 12.05.2025
Accepted: 04.06.2025
Published online: 09.06.2025

How to cite this paper: Ghose, P., Hossain, R., Uddin, S., Akter, U. K., Riaj, M. A. J., Hossen, M. M., & Islam, M. M. (2025). The role of financial technology and financial inclusion in sustainable governance and performance: A systematic review of global insights [Special issue]. Journal of Governance & Regulation, 14(2), 341–352. https://doi.org/10.22495/jgrv14i2siart13