FINANCIAL INCLUSION PERFORMANCE AN INTEGRATED MDCM APPROACH FOR COUNTRİES İN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASİA

Sustainability has been widely debated in recent years, and financial inclusion is becoming increasingly important as it is closely linked to many of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Global research indicates that a significant portion of individuals, groups, and businesses around the world, particularly in underdeveloped and developing countries,

remain excluded from the financial system. While some of these excluded populations voluntarily stay away from the system due to reasons such as beliefs or risk perceptions, a substantial number are involuntarily excluded because of socio-economic and cultural barriers, including geographical constraints, high costs, poverty, and legal and administrative regulations. Achieving sustainability goals requires the existence of an inclusive financial system, which is one of the essential factors. In light of this, and

considering the economic, social, and cultural importance of financial inclusion for countries, this book evaluates the financial inclusion performance of middle-income countries in Europe and Central Asia for the period 2019-2022 using a multi-criteria MDCM approach across different dimensions.