The 2017 Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project Report: Building a Secure and Inclusive Global Financial Ecosystem

The Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project (FDIP), launched in 2014, examines access to and usage of secure, affordable formal financial services among underserved populations. The objective of FDIP is to provide policymakers, the private sector, NGO representatives, and the general public with information that can help improve financial inclusion in their respective countries and beyond. As part of this aim, the FDIP team produces an annual report and scorecard evaluating commitment to and progress toward financial inclusion across a set of geographically and economically diverse countries. 

The 2017 FDIP report highlights selected financial inclusion-related updates for each of the 26 countries featured in last year’s report and identifies possible next steps for advancing financial inclusion. It identifies three key overall findings, based upon trends observed across the international financial inclusion landscape throughout the course of the FDIP lifecycle:

1. There has been growth in national-level recognition among the FDIP countries that financial inclusion is a key ingredient for sustainable development;
2. "Fintech," the intersection of technological innovation and the financial sector, possesses tremendous potential to accelerate progress toward financial inclusion;
3. Countries must amplify investments in cybersecurity efforts and knowledge-sharing in order to fully reap the benefits of financial services innovation.

Previous FDIP reports:

• The 2015 Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project Report: Measuring Progress on Financial Access and Usage
• The 2016 Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project Report: Advancing Equitable Financial Ecosystems