Financial inclusion of Latin American migrants in Chile (2013-2017).

Abstract

The financial inclusion of migrants is a contingent topic that has been developed strongly at the international level in recent years as the result of the high migratory flows occurring at the international level. This political research responds to the necessity to explore the financial inclusion levels of the migrant population segment in Chile, with the analysis centered on the 2013-2017 period on migrants from Latin America.

The selected time period is mainly justified by the migration increase occurred in that period, as well as, the current debate regarding migration policies presented by the Chilean state given the contingency of the issue.

Based on the assumption that greater financial inclusion is positive for both: migrants and the Chilean state, the research shows that despite the increase in migrants in the country, the access to financial services was limited and, in many cases, decreased in relation to previous years. Factors such as nationality and income play a determining role in this research to be able to explain the scope and level of financial access that the largest communities of Latin American migrants present in the country in the selected period have.