Making inclusive loans possible for people all over the world is essential. Fortunately, innovations have made it easier for inclusive loans to be offered to more people than ever before. However, this must happen despite the challenges of making inclusive loans possible, especially regarding mortgages, business financing, and personal loans. 

New Tech Making Inclusive Loans Possible

Mobile banking has been an incredible asset for making inclusive loans possible. Millions can access micro-financing options that do not require them to go into a bank physically. This allows them to avoid the time and financial costs of going to a bank. Additionally, many mobile lending services for microfinancing allow creditors to access loans without providing collateral. 

While these loans are small in amount, they can be incredibly useful for people that need money in the short term to pay for essentials that they do not have the cash for at the time. Many of these mobile lending apps allow customers to develop a credit history on the app. This enables users to access more extensive lines of credit as they show reliability. Taking out larger loans allows individuals to use them for more extensive activities, such as starting a business. In addition, digital-based loans are much easier to provide to remote or very low-income communities with credit, as many such communities lack physical banks to go to.

While new tech is making inclusive loans, it's essential to acknowledge the challenges of digital loans. Over-regulation can dramatically reduce the flexibility and usefulness of digital loans. There is also a risk of borrowers accumulating substantial debts with their newfound access to loans. 

Inclusive Mortgages

Challenges

Mortgages are one of the most apparent sectors that need to prioritize making inclusive loans possible. Traditional mortgage metrics, such as credit reports, exclude vast numbers of potential homeowners as tens of millions of Americans like extensive credit histories. Many of these people come from underserved communities that lack the opportunities to build a credit score and show they are responsible borrowers.

Additionally, many women and people of color are much less likely to be given mortgages. This is due either to a lack of diversity within financial institutions or outright discrimination by banks against certain groups. 

Solutions

Including additional metrics such as income and employment makes mortgages accessible for more people. Implementing different metrics paints a much more complete picture of these people. It shows that many are responsible borrowers for mortgages. Making more inclusive loans possible in mortgages requires banks and financial institutions to collect and properly analyze extensive data in order to see potential borrowers as more than just a credit score. 

Taking away the potential for discrimination is central to making inclusive loans possible. This can be accomplished by implementing systems that mitigate bias by loan officers as much as possible. Additionally, having staff that is representative of the local community is a great way to connect with the community and provide inclusive loans. 

Benefits

This is a win-win situation as banks have more responsible borrowers to do business with, and more people can purchase their own homes. Making inclusive loans possible can encourage borrowers to do more business with the bank and create an even more valuable customer. Additionally, inclusive mortgages allow banks to offer mortgages to a much broader base of borrowers. 

Inclusive Business Financing

Challenges

Many micro businesses and entrepreneurs need to be included in accessing loans. However, making inclusive loans possible for these businesses is challenging due to the increased risks and costs that come with that increased risk. In addition, these very small-scale businesses may need more financial expertise, making financing more difficult.

Banks willing to provide financing to these small businesses can also have unrealistic expectations. Very few of these businesses explode in a short amount of time to be worth millions. 

Solutions

One solution financial institutions can adopt is making microfinancing available to businesses and entrepreneurs. Creating a coherent and well-thought-out microfinancing system can reduce the cost and risk of smaller loans. It also allows microbusinesses and entrepreneurs to get the funding they need and develop a credit history that makes larger loans more accessible. 

Realistic expectations need to be set by financial institutions when offering loans to microbusinesses. For example, banks need to consider that some businesses are scaling slowly or to a certain point. Having realistic expectations ensures banks set loan terms that work for both parties and is essential to making inclusive loans possible. 

Benefits

There are numerous benefits to making inclusive loans possible for banks, businesses, and society. First, providing inclusive loans allows smaller businesses and entrepreneurs to succeed, which serves the twin purposes of bringing people out of poverty and reducing income inequality. In doing so, financial institutions invest in developing the excluded parts of society. 

Many of these micro-businesses are in emerging economies. In the short run, they may not seem appealing but often are characterized by immense growth. Investing in the development of these emerging economies and businesses can bring tremendous long-term benefits for banks committed to these communities' long-term growth. 

Investing in these microbusinesses and allowing them to grow will enable them to compete with more established businesses. This ensures that innovation continues and stagnation does occur because of monopolies. In addition, making inclusive loans possible allows excluded communities to access private investment. It reduces their dependency on government investment, which can shift dramatically based on circumstances outside the control of these communities. 

Inclusive Loans for Everyday People

There are more areas where loans are essential than just mortgages and business financing. For example, people need loans to cover crucial bills or to make more significant transactions that are important for their livelihoods. Making inclusive loans possible allows these people to cover these expenses and prevent them from turning to alternatives such as payday loans which are much more expensive than loans from banks. 

Similar to mortgages providing smaller inclusive loans to individuals is an opportunity to get people to work more extensively with a bank. Again this is another win-win situation as banks get a broader customer base and customers gain access to reliable financial services.