G20 POLICYRECOMMENDATIONSFOR MOVING FROMFINANCIAL ACCESSTO USAGE October 2025 Acknowledgements This G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) document was prepared by theWorld Bank* as an implementing partner of GPFI with guidance and inputs from the G20South African Presidency represented by the National Treasury (NT) of the Governmentof South Africa, GPFI member countries, GPFI Implementing and Affiliated Partners, andGPFI Co-Chairs. The World Bank drafting team comprised of Sheirin Iravantchi, Jennifer Chien, DrilonaEmrullahu, Friederike Rühmann, Arpita Sarkar, Oya Ardic, and Srishti Sinha. MatthewSaal, Raquel Letelier, Haocong Ren (CGAP), Tatiana Alonso Gispert (CGAP), and DavidSymington (Policy Advisor, UNSGSA) provided valuable comments. Harish Natarajan,Jean Pesme, and Niraj Verma provided overall guidance. Machimanda Appaiah Deviah pro-vided editorial assistance and Ari Jegeni designed this report. The Alliance for FinancialInclusion, Better Than Cash Alliance, and Women’s World Banking drafted several casestudies contained in the report and provided review inputs. Contents Contents5Acronyms and Abbreviations7Executive Summary9I.Context and Introduction11II.Global Progress in Moving from Access to Usage132.1Account Ownership: Progress and Remaining Gaps132.2Bridging the Gap: From Access to Usage of Financial Services152.2.1 Using Accounts for Everyday Money Management172.2.2 Using Financial Services to Build Resilience212.3Digital Connectivity and Financial Services Usage242.4Non-Traditional Access Points have been Gaining Momentum in Recent Years25III.Measuring Financial Inclusion: A Proposed List of Indicators for Usage of Financial Services273.1Background: G20 Financial Inclusion Indicators273.2Existing Data Sources and Indicators for Measurement of Usage of Financial Services273.3List of Indicators to Measure Usage of Financial Services283.3.1 General Indicators to Measure Transaction Account (Account) Usage293.3.2 Indicators for Specific Financial Products and Services303.4Challenges and Limitations353.5Further Areas for Consideration37IV. Impediments to the Usage of Financial Products and Services394.1Enabling Environment Barriers404.1.1 ICT infrastructure404.1.2 Interoperability Challenges404.1.3 Policy and Regulatory Constraints: Limiting Innovation414.1.4 Informal Sector Dynamics414.2Affordability414.3Inappropriate Regulatory Frameworks and Lack of a Responsible Digital Financial Ecosystem424.3.1 Financial Consumer Protection (FCP)424.3.2 Data Protection and Privacy424.3.3 Lack of Supervisory and Oversight Capacity434.3.4 Fraud, Cyber and Financial Integrity Risks444.4Financial and Digital Literacy444.5Sociocultural Barriers and Challenges Faced by Women444.6Product-Specific Barriers454.6.1 Accounts and Payments454.6.2 Credit Products464.6.3 Savings Products474.6.4 Insurance Products484.6.5 Remittances49V.Policy Recommendations51 5.1 Enhancing Competition in the Financial Sector, Including Enabling Innovation, Non-Banks, and NewBusiness Models52 5.2Establishing Well-Functioning Digital and Financial Infrastructures535.2.1 Establishing Well-Functioning Digital and Financial Infrastructures535.2.2 Improving Convenience and Usability of Products via Enhanced Payments Infrastructure545.2.3 Expanding Reliable ICT Infrastructure545.2.4 Improving Credit Infrastructure555.3Improving Suitability of Product Offerings for Vulnerable and Underserved Groups555.4Ensuring Safe and Responsible Design and Delivery of Financial Products575.4.1 Establishing Robust Financial Consumer Protection (FCP) Frameworks575.4.2 Building Strong Supervisory and Oversight Capacity575.4.3 Establishing Sound Frameworks to Address Fraud, Cyber, and Financial Integrity Risks585.4.4 Enhancing Financial and Digital Literacy585.5Developing a Coordinated and Comprehensive Policy Approach595.5.1 Developing a Strategic Approach to Increase Usage595.5.2 Collecting and Analyzing Data on Usage Regularly to Ensure Informed Policymaking605.5.3 Leveraging the Role of Government in Driving Usage60Annex I: Case Studies62Annex II: Supplementary Charts70Annex III: Types of Credit71Annex IV: Lack of Adequate Long-Term Finance and Risk Capital for Financial Institutions72Annex V: Sovereign Risk and its Systemic Impact on Credit Markets and Financial Stability73 Table of Figures Figure 1:Adults with an account (%, age 15+), 2011-2024Figure 2:Adults with an account (%, age 15+), 2024Figure 3:Number of transactions (per 1,000 adults)Figure 4:Frequency of usage of mobile money accounts in select countries of SSA, adults with mobile moneyaccounts (standardized to 100 percent), 2024Figure 5:Made or received a digital payment (%, age 15+)Figure 6:Made a digital merchant payment (%, age 15+)Figure 7:Frequency of using a mobile phone or card to pay for an in-store purchase (%, age 15+)Figure 8:Adults who made an online purchase (%, age 15+)Figure 9:Received private sector wages into an account or in cash only (%, age 15+)Figure 10: