Integrating Sustainability into Financial Models: Reflections from Professional and Academic Experience

Abstract

This paper focuses on the contribution of financial inclusion to the sustainability of productive systems, using the relationships between the SDGs and the sustainability matrix as a means of linking them. Financial inclusion directly impacts the reduction of poverty and inequalities, but also indirectly impacts aspects of health, education, and responsible production.
The overall objective is to study the relationship between financial inclusion and sustainability in Argentina.
A quantitative approach is applied, classifying countries into high, medium, and low financial inclusion groups and verifying the variables that determine membership in one group or another. Specifically, it establishes Argentina's performance and what it must do to converge to higher levels.
The results show that financial education and digitalization reduce social inequality and reinforce the positive impact on the well-being of the population. Argentina has an intermediate level of inclusion, with potential for improvement through specific policies. The conclusion is that implementing inclusive strategies and providing financial instruments to the most disadvantaged facilitates progress and equal opportunities, making the achievement of the SDGs feasible. This aspect must be further explored so that countries become more sustainable and contribute to human well-being, improving the system's sustainability management.