PurposeFinancial capability is considered to be an important concept that has drawn the attention of many world nations. While the literature suggests various studies on financial capability and financial wellbeing, focus on their combined significance has been limited. The purpose of this paper is to examine how financial capability affects the financial wellbeing of women in community-based organizations and how decision-making ability mediated this relationship.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 1,000 women who are associated with the community-based organization – Kudumbashree in the state of Kerala, India participated in the survey-based study.FindingsThe structural equation modelling results show that there exists a significant relationship between financial capability and the financial wellbeing of women in CBOs. Further, decision-making ability was identified as a significant mediator in this relationship thus establishing a partial mediation effect.Practical implicationsThe financial social workers can focus their activities on promoting financial capability and decision making aspects of women from middle/low income families to facilitate their financial wellbeing. The scope for financial socialisation and proper orientation is more for the women associated with the community based organisations. This opportunity can be made use by the government authorities and other practitioners to change their financial outlook and contribute towards the empowerment of these women from the grass root level.Originality/valueThe studies related to financial literacy and financial inclusion are available in the Indian context, but the conceptualization of financial capability is still an under-researched area in India. Hence, this study is an attempt to explain the capability-wellbeing relationship from a financial point of view in the Indian context, and further establishes its connection with the individual's decision-making ability. To strengthen the research base, the study was conducted among the women in the community-based organization who belong to middle and low-income families.

Lexi Stadlen, Nine Paths: A Year in the Life of an Indian Village (Penguin Random House UK, 2022), 300 pp., ₹493, ISBN: 978-1-473-58454-9

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This paper examines India's level of digital access to financial services as compared to other Asian countries. The study also intends to analyse whether COVID-19 has influenced the usage trend of the selected digital payment indicators in India. Data has been collected from the World Bank Global Findex Database and RBI bulletins. Cross country descriptive analysis was used for studying India's digital financial access against the other Asian countries. Event study methodology followed by trend analysis was employed to examine whether COVID-19 has impacted the digital payment indicators' usage in India. The findings of the study indicated that India's position in digital financial access needs to be improved. It was further identified that COVID-19 has increased the usage of digital modes for financial transactions in India. There has been a significant increase in the usage volume of mobile banking after the declaration of the pandemic. Govt. can frame its action plans to make use of the opportunity created through the pandemic to improve digital financial access in India.