The European Union’s climate policy and the energy transition associated with it force individual countries, their economies and their industrial sectors to carry out thorough changes, often of a deep, high-cost and restructuring nature. The aim of the article is to provide a multidimensional assessment of the forms and effects of the restructuring of coal mining companies in Poland in light of the current energy transition process. The research problem is encapsulated within the following two interdependent questions: Has the restructuring process allowed the coal mining industry to achieve sufficient efficiency to sustainably compete in the open market, and to what extent, if at all, have the objectives of restructuring been achieved from the perspective of changes in the energy mix? The research covers all coal mining companies included in the official statistics. It adopts a long-term perspective (1990–2020), dating from the beginning of the systemic transformation in Poland. The research involved the use of multivariate financial analysis methods, including the logit model for predicting the degree of financial threat, as well as taxonomic methods for assessing the dissimilarity of structures and their concentration. The general conclusion of the research is that there has been a lack of consistency (follow-up) between the forms and effects of restructuring in coal mining companies in Poland on the one hand and changes in the composition of the country’s energy mix as a result of the energy transition on the other. In particular, this means that such restructuring, being neither effective nor efficient, has failed to accelerate change in the energy mix.

Financial inclusion, which consists of having a financial system that is easily accessible to citizens, is identified by various international organizations such as the new UN Agenda 2030, as a priority objective. This objective is particularly relevant in rural areas, where access to these services is more difficult, as citizens have to travel several kilometers to access them. In this study, we analyze the current situation of the Polish financial sector in terms of its accessibility, in order to measure the degree of financial inclusion. For this purpose, we use three combined methodologies. Initially, a data extraction from the Central Bank of Poland was carried out. Subsequently, three methodologies are applied to calculate financial inclusion. First, we apply the criteria of the Financial Access Survey (FAS) of the International Monetary Fund. Secondly, the Access to Cash Index (ACI) methodology by calculating a score that describes the access to banking services according to certain items. Finally, we applied the nearest neighbor methodology to detect in each voivodship those points where it is most difficult (measured in km distance) to access banking services. Some areas, especially in rural areas of the different voivodeships, present certain problems when it comes to accessing banking services. Therefore, the fulfillment of SDG 8.10 will be more difficult to achieve in these areas. The public authorities must pay attention to this, in order to reach the commitments acquired with the 2030 agenda, in terms of financial inclusion.

Los países de la región del Caribe, Centroamérica y Sudamérica han irrumpido con fuerza e indiscutible liderazgo en la adopción del dinero digital, ya sea apostando por las monedas digitales emitidas y respaldadas por un banco central (CBDC) o por las monedas virtuales descentralizadas (DEFI), lideradas por Bitcoin y Ether. El objetivo del artículo es identificar las razones que llevan a un país o zona monetaria a decantarse por alguno de estos sistemas. Una vez estudiadas las ventajas y desventajas del uso de las divisas virtuales centraremos el análisis en doce variables sobre el uso de dinero móvil extraídas del GFI (Global Findex Indicator) de los años 2011, 2014, 2017 y 2021 de todos estos países. El presente artículo demuestra, entre otras cuestiones, que la apuesta por un dinero digital basado en CBDC o DEFI depende más de la elección política de los dirigentes del país en cuestión que de criterios socioeconómicos.

Objective: This study aims to characterise the phenomenon of depopulation in the rural environment from the point of view of the opportunities offered by technology-based rural entrepreneurship as a lever that promotes population fixation and the economic dynamisation of the most depressed territories subject to the economic and social imbalances generated by depopulation. Research Design & Methods: The research approach is based on the application of case studies as an empirical research technique. In particular, the strategy for the promotion of rural start-ups in CyL – the largest European region and one of the Spanish regions most affected by the negative consequences of depopulation – is analysed. Findings: Empirical evidence has shown that economic conditions have impacted the extent and duration of migration flows from rural areas to a more industrialised urban environment. Thus, in recent decades, the spatial distribution of the population has taken shape characterised by strong concentrations in large cities as opposed to the dispersion and low density of the population in large areas of the territory. Implications / Recommendations: The promotion of rural entrepreneurship through the development of specific actions to encourage the creation of start-up companies could be a solution to the demographic challenge. Contribution / Value Added: The creation of a regional entrepreneurial ecosystem has been possible owing to the financing, growth, scaling, and business internationalisation programmes promoted by the regional government.