With intensifying competition in the financial system, new strategic applications are constantly being devised in the search for greater efficiency. In consequence, decisions are commonly based on locating and retaining market segments with high added value, and those which fail to supply the profitability required by the market are “excluded”. The aim of this study is to analyse the research advances made in the field of financial inclusion and the main lines of investigation currently being addressed by means of a bibliometric analysis. Among the scientific community, there is growing interest in this study area. The most assiduous in this respect are SA Asongu (the most productive author), Enterprise Development and Microfinance (the journal that has published the most articles in this field), Makerere University, Uganda (the most productive institution) and India (the country where most recent studies have taken place). Foreseeably inspiring future research, there is currently great interest in developing a more accessible financial system, especially through the use of digital money (Fintech) as an instrument to promote financial inclusion. For all this, a line of research is proposed that also includes the proposals from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors affecting the intention to use peer-to-peer (P2P) mobile payment. Although mobile technology has become part of everyday life, certain actions and services, such as mobile payments, are still used relatively infrequently. In this paper, we analyse consumers’ adoption of P2P mobile payment services. Following a review of previous literature in this field, we identify the main factors that determine the adoption of mobile payments, and then perform a logistic regression (LR) analysis and propose a neural network to predict this adoption. From the logistic regression results obtained we conclude that six variables significantly influence intentions to use P2P payment: ease of use, perceived risk, personal innovativeness, perceived usefulness, subjective norms and perceived enjoyment. With respect to the nonparametric technique, we find that the multilayer perceptrons (MLP) prediction model for the use of P2P payment obtains higher AUC values, and thus is more accurate, than the LR model. This paper is a pioneer study of intention to use with mobile payment using these methodologies. The outcome of this research has important implications for the theory and practice of the adoption of P2P mobile payment services.

Concern has been expressed by international organisations and in previous studies about the financial situation of local governments, and the question of debt has been identified as a crucial element in efforts to overcome the current financial crisis. However, the variables that can affect the financial soundness of these governments have not been sufficiently studied, despite their direct relation to the credit risk premium. In this article, we aim to identify risk factors for default by local governments, and provide useful information to municipal financial managers. We conducted an empirical study of 148 Spanish municipalities and analysed data from four years, applying a random effects logistic regression model. Our findings reveal that a lower population density, less dependent population, falling levels of per capita income and the presence of progressive local government are all risk factors for default by local governments. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the general financing structure variable and debt composition and maturity variable do influence the risk of default by local governments. Points for practitioners: The findings of this article can provide useful information for managers and politicians responsible for the financial management of local governments, in particular, by enabling them to better understand the risk premiums assigned by banks. Specifically, by identifying the risk factors for default, this article highlights the warning signs of this risk, so that suitable arguments may be expressed in negotiating loan repayment schedules and interest rates, and in designing financial viability and restructuring plans.