A growing global focus on financial inclusion has expanded access to bank accounts and digital tools, but many people still struggle with true financial resilience. While 79% of adults worldwide now have a bank account — up from just over half in 2011 — more than two billion people remain unbanked or underbanked. Even among those with access, many lack the stability to handle emergencies. Digital connectivity has played a major role in widening access, with mobile phones becoming a gateway to simple and secure financial services. However, gaps in trust, awareness, and capability continue to limit how effectively people use these tools to build long-term financial health.
This challenge underlines the need for solutions that go beyond access. Many adults in low- and middle-income countries cannot reliably raise emergency funds within a month, signaling the limits of access alone. Strengthening financial resilience requires helping people understand, trust, and effectively use financial tools. At the ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summit in Kuala Lumpur, the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth launched the Global Financial Health Coalition to address this need. Bringing together financial institutions, NGOs, telecom operators, wallet providers, and industry leaders, the coalition aims to close the gap between access and actual financial well-being.
The coalition focuses on connecting people to the right tools, protecting them through responsible technology, and empowering them to build stronger financial habits. Members include organizations such as DANA, GCash, TrueMoney, MTN Group Fintech, MOCO, Axian, Daviplata, and the Center for Financial Inclusion — each contributing expertise and local insights. These partners are already driving innovation across regions, from supporting microenterprises in Southeast Asia to expanding digital access in Africa and Latin America. By sharing best practices across diverse markets, the coalition seeks to build trust, strengthen user protection, and promote inclusive innovation.
Through these collaborative efforts, millions of people and small businesses will be better equipped to participate confidently in the digital economy. Improved financial behaviors, greater resilience, and wider access to secure digital tools will allow more individuals to thrive. By uniting multiple sectors around shared goals, the coalition aims to reimagine what is possible for global financial health, ensuring that digital transformation leads not only to access — but to genuine empowerment and opportunity for all.
