The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative published an Asia Pacific analysis arguing that the region’s challenge has shifted from expanding access to financial services to improving customers’ financial health and resilience. The piece says rising account ownership and digital adoption have broadened inclusion, but access alone has not ensured that households and small businesses can absorb shocks, manage finances and plan ahead. It identifies housing affordability and small and medium-sized enterprise finance as the main pressure points and casts banks as the key channel for turning inclusion into stronger economic resilience. The analysis cites World Bank data showing that 83% of adults in East Asia and the Pacific had a financial account, up from 69% a decade earlier, while 56% could access emergency funds. It uses case studies to illustrate different delivery models, including ANZ’s affordable housing financing, Thailand’s Government Savings Bank providing up to THB 100 billion in government-backed soft loans to small and medium-sized enterprises with nearly THB 98.7 billion drawn by late 2025, Industrial Bank of Korea’s partnerships with municipalities and guarantee agencies to reduce borrowing costs for smaller firms, and Agricultural Bank of China’s mix of rural branch coverage and digital lending, which had an inclusive loan balance of RMB 4.35 trillion at the end of 2025. UNEP FI presents its Principles for Responsible Banking Guidance on Financial Health and Inclusion as the implementation framework for banks making that shift. The guidance is positioned as a tool for setting strategy and goals, aligning portfolios and tracking progress, supported by practical tools and peer learning.
United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative2026-06-11
United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative highlights financial health as the next frontier for Asia Pacific banks
UNEP FI published an Asia Pacific analysis saying banks need to move beyond widening access to financial services and focus on financial health and resilience. It highlights housing affordability and finance for small and medium-sized enterprises as the main gaps and uses case studies from ANZ, Government Savings Bank, Industrial Bank of Korea and Agricultural Bank of China to show how targeted financing, public partnerships and digital models can improve outcomes. UNEP FI points to its Principles for Responsible Banking guidance as the framework for banks to set goals, align portfolios and track progress.