Financialisation of everyday life in the Global South – the case of low-income workers in Brazil

Financialisation of everyday life has spread to the Global South through the financial inclusion boom. Despite well-developed local financial systems, individuals in these countries still face socio-economic constraints, including significant labour-market informality and inadequate social protection systems. This article contributes to the debate on the financialisation of everyday life, using Brazil as a case study. We focus on the pre-COVID pandemic period, when financial inclusion policies were widespread, but financial innovations had not reached most of the poorest. Based on 30 semi-structured interviews in Minas Gerais, we analyse the lived experiences and perceptions of low-income individuals. We find that low-income workers in Brazil are often unable to save, are less likely to utilise formal financial services, and frequently become over-indebted to cover their immediate basic needs, such as food and household bills. Thus, instead of reducing poverty, financial inclusion policies have led to the widespread everyday financialisation of low-income workers.