Changes in Brazil's financial panorama: The growth of Credit Cooperatives through a geographical lens

Abstract

The issue of financialization of society through the dissemination of Credit Cooperatives demonstrates changes in the structure of the banking and financial sector in the country. Thus, this research aimed to understand the dissemination of Credit Cooperatives in Brazil from the 2000s onwards. To achieve this, in addition to bibliographic research on the topic, data collection was carried out with the Central Bank among other institutions, which allowed the construction of analyses. The research revealed the exponential increase of cooperatives at the expense of classical bank branches, although territorialization still holds importance in the banking system, other topologies compete with the sector, causing changes in the national banking system and contributing to the financial inclusion of the unbanked portion of Brazilian society, this is a scenario design that contributes to the studies of Financial Geography and a greater understanding of the expansion of Credit Cooperatives in Brazil.