18. Fintech and Financial Inclusion in the Kingdom of Morocco: Demographics and Socioeconomic Characteristics

The role of fintech in supporting financial inclusion has gained momentum among international bodies. The UN sustainable development agenda of 2030 and the G20 document on digital financial inclusion key principles both stress the need to use fintech to reduce financial exclusion and to enhance income equality. The debate around financial inclusion has increased in the past 2 years, especially with the crisis of Covid-19. The pandemic accelerated the development of Morocco’s digital financial environment, with government and private firms deploying fintech tools for payments and other financial transactions. This chapter has the following purposes: (1) to review the literature that examines fintech as a driver to financial inclusion, (2) to investigate critical barriers that prevent some segments of the Moroccan population from accessing financial services while giving indicators that reflect financial exclusion, and (3) to shed light on fintech advances and how the Kingdom of Morocco intends to leverage the contribution of fintech firms in the implementation of its National Financial Inclusion Strategy (SNIF).