Financial Inclusion In Zimbabwe: A Contextual Overview

The purpose of this article is to give an overview of financial inclusion in Zimbabwe. Financial inclusion is an important and contemporary aspect the world over. In Zimbabwe, many people are excluded from the financial sector and this has created high levels of poverty and inequality in the country. The article follows a qualitative research methodology. The overview is done using existing literature, driven by an exploratory approach. The results show that financial exclusion comes in different forms and it is responsible for poverty and inequality in Zimbabwe. Most of the ‘unbanked’ dwell in the rural areas hence the need for developing the rural banking sector for local resource mobilisation and business development. The majority(about 65%) of the people dwell in the rural areas. The rural dwellers are excluded from the financial mainstream and do not have good access to financial resources. Consequently, they remain on the lowest rung of the development ladder. The development of rural banks has potential to develop rural businesses that are currently underdeveloped partly because of lack of financial resources. Financial inclusion will promote local savings and investments thus developing rural businesses. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p415