Underlying the global financial inclusion agenda is the assumption that providing access to and ownership of bank accounts will improve the lives of previously excluded adults and contribute to economic growth objectives. This assumption is reinforced by surveys such as Findex and FinScope, which monitor the progress of financial inclusion policies by tracking the number of ‘banked’ individuals. The headline indicators position bank account ownership as the priority area of inclusion, with other forms of financial inclusion secondary.

Lost in the mail: Why bank account access is not translating into usage (Note 4) scrutinises how bank accounts are being used, analyses why they are being used this way and asks why banks accounts are not used more.