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Microenterprises and access to credit: the role of digitalization, sustainability, and financial literacy

Massimo Caratelli, Edoardo Lanciano
May 2026 - n. 5
Keywords: Microimprese, innovazione, sostenibilità, alfabetizzazione finanziaria, credito
Jel codes: G21, G53, M10, Q55, Q56

This paper analyzes the effect of factors such as digital innovation, environmental sustainability, and financial literacy on access to credit among microenterprises. We use data from the Bank of Italy on a sample of 1,809 microenterprises, drawn from the 2021 survey on entrepreneurs' financial competences. For the purposes of the analysis, measures of access to credit, digital innovation, environmental sustainability, and financial literacy were constructed, along with a set of control variables, and regression models were estimated. The results indicate a positive effect of digital innovation and financial literacy on access to credit, while no similar effect emerges for environmental sustainability, likely due to contextual factors or firm-specific characteristics that may influence the relationship.

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