2020 Trends in International Funding for Financial Inclusion

International funders committed $58 billion for financial inclusion in 2020, an increase of $6 billion from the previous year. Analysis in this paper shows that while private funding growth slowed to 4 percent, public funding grew by 17 percent over 2019 levels,  influenced, in part, by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Analysis of all funder types shows that while financial inclusion is poised to remain a priority for funders in the years ahead, the “what,” the “how,” and the “who” of funding are evolving. Insights into the prioritization of topics, the operationalization of programming, and new funders entering the sector offer a new window into the changing nature of financial inclusion as an enabler of the sustainable development agenda.