Financial Systems as Enablers of SDGs 7 and 13

An Ecosystem Approach to Financial Inclusion, Digitalisation, and Green Transition in OECD

Bibliographic Data

ID21604848
AuthorsAbdulaziz Khalid Alsharidi (0009-0007-2527-7398, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Science King Faisal University Al Ahsa Saudi Arabia, corresponding author), Abiodun Toheeb Emiola (0009-0002-3043-8997, Purdue University West Lafeyyete Indiana USA)
Year2026
Publication date2026-06-18
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSustainable Development (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0968-0802 • E-ISSN: 1099-1719
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/sd.71338
OpenAlexW7165203757
LanguageEN
References cited37

As global economies accelerate toward decarbonization, achieving SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) increasingly depends on how financial systems are structured and governed. Despite substantial financial deepening in advanced economies, persistent carbon dependency raises a critical policy question: can financial systems be reconfigured to support sustainable development outcomes? This study addresses this issue by empirically evaluating the 3F Framework, which conceptualizes financial development, financial inclusion, and financial technology as interdependent pillars of a sustainability‐oriented financial ecosystem. The empirical analysis is based on data for 22 selected OECD economies spanning 2012–2023. Findings show that financial development increases emissions alone, but with inclusion and FinTech, reduces emissions and supports renewable energy transition. The study examines how alternative configurations of financial systems influence carbon emissions, ecological footprint, and renewable‐energy adoption. The results indicate that financial development, when considered in isolation, tends to exacerbate environmental pressure. However, its interaction with financial inclusion and FinTech significantly mitigates carbon emissions and ecological degradation while promoting the transition to renewable energy. Further analysis reveals that these sustainability‐enhancing effects are more pronounced in the post‐Paris Agreement period, suggesting a structural shift toward digitally enabled and inclusion‐driven green finance. These findings imply that progress toward SDG 7 and SDG 13 depends not on the expansion of finance per se, but on its institutional reconfiguration toward inclusiveness, digital efficiency, and environmental accountability. Overall, key findings offer policy‐relevant insights for aligning financial architecture with energy transition and climate mitigation objectives in OECD economies

Carbon finance · Financial crisis · Financial inclusion · Financial regulation · Financial sector development · Financial services · Geography of finance · Interdependence · Renewable energy · Sustainable development · Energy, Environment, Economic Growth · Sustainability and Climate Change Governance · Sustainable Finance and Green Bonds

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