The G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) has published its paper on “G20 Policy Recommendations for Moving from Financial Access to Usage”, setting out a policy package to help jurisdictions translate widespread account ownership into regular and responsible use of payments, savings, credit, insurance and remittances. The report, prepared by the World Bank as an implementing partner with inputs from South Africa’s G20 Presidency and GPFI members and partners, also proposes a list of indicators to measure usage more systematically. The paper notes that global account ownership reached 79% in 2024, up from 51% in 2011, but that increased access has not been matched by deeper engagement. In 2024, 62% of adults reported making or receiving digital payments, while usage among account owners remained broadly steady around 80%, suggesting that recent gains reflect expanded access rather than increased activity. It highlights persistent gaps across regions and demographic groups, including women, poorer households, youth, the less educated and rural residents, and identifies recurring impediments to usage including ICT and payments infrastructure constraints, interoperability challenges, affordability, inappropriate regulatory frameworks, weak consumer protection and supervisory capacity, fraud and cyber risks, low financial and digital literacy, and sociocultural barriers. Policy recommendations are organized around five themes: enhancing competition and innovation, strengthening digital and financial infrastructures, improving product suitability for vulnerable and underserved groups, ensuring safe and responsible product design and delivery, and adopting a coordinated, data-driven national approach including leveraging government payments to support usage. The report flags areas for further work, including additional analysis on the relationship between usage and development outcomes and research to distinguish voluntary from involuntary low usage to better target policy interventions.
GPFI 2026-01-26
G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion publishes policy recommendations to shift financial inclusion from access to usage
The G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) released a paper with policy recommendations to enhance the transition from financial access to usage, emphasizing systematic measurement and addressing barriers like infrastructure and regulatory challenges. Prepared with the World Bank and South Africa’s G20 Presidency, it highlights usage gaps and suggests a coordinated, data-driven approach to improve financial engagement, especially for vulnerable groups.