Financial exclusion is a human rights issue affecting health equity. Evidence demonstrates that financial exclusion is exacerbated for people with disability and those in low- to middle-income countries (LMIC). Barriers to financial access include limited demand for services, banking inadequacies in catering to people with disability, and insufficiently accessible information technologies (ICT) and infrastructure. This scoping review sought to identify barriers to and facilitators of financial inclusion for people with disability in LMIC. As a secondary objective, the study explored the potential of financial education and ICT utilisation as viable strategies for enhancing financial inclusion. This review utilised the Arksey and O'Malley framework and PRISMA Checklist for systematic literature examination and data extraction. The WHO's Environmental Factors guided the analysis to propose potential interventions and to generate recommendations. The review analysed 26 publications from various global regions and fields including finance, business, technology, health and disability policy. It identified consistent financial inclusion barriers for people with disability, resulting in a set of global recommendations across attitudes, environment, technology, services, and policy. Recommendations include using ICT, digital innovation and multi-stakeholder collaboration to address the financial barriers experienced by people with disability. These efforts, rooted in social justice, aim to include people with disability in LMIC as valued financial sector participants, promoting health and equity.

Prior research suggests that long-term relationships with microfinance institutions (MFIs) are necessary for sustained growth of microcredit-initiated small businesses. However, we present robust evidence that long-term lending relationships may worsen the credit risk of MFIs. Based on information on 1087 MFIs from 69 countries over the period of 2003–2014, we show that, at the initial stage, credit risk declines as an MFI makes more relationship-based loans, but after a certain level, default and delinquencies increase with the magnitude of relationships. We further show that the non-linear, U-shaped, association between relationship lending and credit risk is stronger (a) among small MFIs compared to that among large MFIs and (b) among MFIs that make individual loans compared to those making joint liability-based loans. We discuss policy implications of these findings.

Hybrid entrepreneurship as a side hustle is a widespread yet understudied coping strategy among low-income wage workers. This study examines how loss aversion is associated with such side-hustle activities and their links to well-being. We conducted a mixed-method study in Bangladesh. Quantitative analysis, based on surveys and lab experiments, indicates that loss aversion is associated with a higher likelihood of engaging in hybrid entrepreneurship, which is in turn linked to higher well-being. Qualitative analysis, based on in-depth interviews, illustrates mechanisms that may underlie these associations. Together, these findings provide insights into the protective role of hybrid entrepreneurship in poverty contexts.