Rural Finance and Sustainable Development

This paper aims at shedding light on how rural finance can contribute to sustainable development, within the framework of the 2030 Agenda adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 2015. The starting point can be identified with defining the concept of rural finance and sorting out its most relevant subsets, such as microfinance and remittances. The next step revolves around sustainability issues that deal with economic growth in agribusiness and related market segments, with special emphasis on the financial needs of rural communities. Much attention is requested by innovative trends, including digitalization in the financial industry, and by the worrisome implications of the global health emergency caused by Covid-19. Conclusions draw upon lessons learned and best practices, that are worth replicating and sharing, to the benefit not only of the areas under investigation, but of our society as a whole.