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Mastercard: Building a Coalition for Global Financial Health and Resilience
With 2.1 billion people still underbanked or unbanked, a new coalition aims to close the gap between access and true financial health. NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / December 1, 2025 /Originally published by Mastercard By Bunita Sawhney, Chief ...
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[{"type":"text","content":"With 2.1 billion people still underbanked or unbanked, a new coalition aims to close the gap between access and true financial health.","length":134,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / December 1, 2025 / Originally published by Mastercard","length":89,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"By Bunita Sawhney, Chief Consumer Product Officer, Mastercard","length":61,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"As the world grows ever more connected, access to financial tools has expanded dramatically. Today, 79% of adults worldwide have a bank account, an increase from 51% in 2011. This is a remarkable gain. Yet 2.1 billion adults remain underbanked or unbanked, according to the World Bank's Global Findex 2025, and for many who have entered the formal financial system, true financial resilience is still out of reach.","length":418,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Digital transformation across the world has played a key role in expanding access to financial tools. More than 85% of adults in low- and middle-income countries have mobile phones - 75% of which are smartphones - fueling the demand for simple, secure banking and payment experiences.","length":284,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Despite this increased connectivity, billions of people still face the daily stresses of being underbanked or unbanked. In low- and middle-income economies, only slightly more than half of all adults could reliably come up with extra money within 30 days to deal with an emergency such as a job loss, illness or natural disaster, the Findex found. This signals a critical gap: Access to financial tools alone is not enough to foster long-term resilience. According to a recent Mastercard white paper, consumers' lack of awareness and trust can be key barriers to ongoing usage of financial tools.","length":600,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"We must ensure that individuals are not just connected to the digital economy, but empowered and protected - with the tools, trust and capabilities to actively participate, transact, save and grow. The digital transformation has driven unprecedented access - and it holds the key to unlocking meaningful financial well-being for all.","length":333,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"That's why at the ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summit, hosted b...