Non-parametric evidence on the determinants of access to financial services in the countries of the Organization of Turkic States

Access to financial services, which is a component of financial inclusion, enables individuals and businesses to access the funds they need on favorable terms and at low cost, without time and place constraints. In this respect, access to finance is seen as an important tool for economic growth, employment and poverty reduction. The study aims to examine the role of the variables of shadow economy (SE), human development level (HDI), automatic teller machines usage (ATM) and inflation (INF) on access to financial services (AFS) in the member countries of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). In the study, which covers the period 2004–2021, analyzes were conducted within the framework of the fixed-effect Method of Moment Quantile Regression (MM-QR). According to the results of the study, while the level of HDI and the use of ATMs have a positive effect on AFS, while the SE has a negative effect. Although the INF rate has a negative effect on AFS, this effect could not be confirmed at any quantile level.