The ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE AND FINANCIAL INCLUSION IN RURAL AREAS OF THE CANTON OF CUENCA

Abstract

The general objective of this article is to determine the performance and financial inclusion of rural sectors in Cuenca, given
the identification of problems regarding their assets, portfolio balances, savings collection, and the limited supply of financial
products from Popular and Solidarity Economy (EPS) actors. An observational, retrospective, descriptive, and correlational
methodology was used, taking sixty-two Savings and Credit Cooperatives (COACs) by its acronym in Spanish in the province
of Azuay as the population for the statistical analysis of Principal Components (PCA). For the survey, the population between
the ages of 16 to 64 was interviewed, which under a finite sample was established at 384 individuals. The results obtained
highlight the high correlation between the study variables in determining the financial performance of cooperatives in the
rural sector, also showing that the COACs generate inclusion processes with greater “depth of outreach” through a greater
physical presence than conventional financial institutions. As a result, new lines of research are being developed to solve the
current conflicts and decision-making regarding financial performance in the rural area of Cuenca.