The Moderating Impact of Digital and financial inclusion on Transport-based Carbon Emissions in the SADC

This study investigates the impact of digital and financial inclusion on Transport-based carbon emissions in 13 Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) nations with data analysed from 2002 to 2022. It captures financial inclusion using ATM and commercial bank accessibility, and digital inclusion using mobile phone subscriptions and Internet accessibility. The (individual) results from the Generalised Method of Moments show that, on the one hand, ATM accessibility and mobile subscription increased transport-based emissions, while, on the other hand, commercial bank and Internet accessibility reduced them. However, the findings from the moderation examinations show higher emissions impact when ATMs combine with mobile subscription or when commercial bank branches combine with Internet access. Nevertheless, since the focus in many Southern African countries has probably been more on providing basic financial services physically than on including the advantages of mobile financial services into the financial service provision; one may still recommend to include more digital internet-facilitated mediums into the provision of financial services.