Technology Is Delivering Better Access To Financial Services. Here's How

By Philippe Le Houérou and Dan Schulman

Digital technology is spurring financial inclusion around the world, enabling millions more people and businesses to join the global economy for the first time. Yet there is much more work to do.

That’s the key message from the World Bank’s new Global Findex database, a groundbreaking portrait of how people in more than 140 countries use cards, mobile phones and the internet to make payments and manage money.

Access to financial services is critical for global development, as it makes it easier to invest in health, education and business. Digital technologies offer a powerful way to boost financial access.