Delivering Financial Health Globally

United Nations Capital Development Fund and i3 program supported by MetLife Foundation are launching the White Paper on Financial Health titled, Delivering Financial Health Globally.

There is sufficient evidence to show that countries with high financial inclusion have lower-level of financial health impacts. In the United States, only 29 percent of Americans are financially healthy despite a booming economy and near-universal financial inclusion (US Financial Health Pulse: 2019 Trend Report, 2019). Meanwhile, 83 percent of Kenyans were financially included in 2019 but only 22 percent were deemed financially healthy, a drop from 39 percent in 2016 (FSD Kenya Inclusive Finance, 2019). Seeking financial inclusion as an outcome may not be enough to help vulnerable people gain more control of their financial lives, improve resilience, make informed decisions, and achieve their financial goals.

Financial health is a comprehensive approach that goes beyond just financial services and collectively aims to improve people’s lives through livelihood opportunities, skills and influencing social eco-system of individuals and communities.

The paper is the result of a comprehensive review of over 60 publications related to financial health and inclusion, and expert interviews with over 20 leading organizations in the inclusive finance sector. The report explores the constituents and drivers of financial health, how to measure it and, puts forth the role of private and public sector.

In this webinar, hear from global experts and leaders from financial institutions and innovators on how financial health helps businesses achieve SDGs, improve customer focus, trust, drive return on investments and build financial resilience among low and moderate income population.