Moving the Needle: How Digital Finance Can Drive Financial Inclusion in SEA – A Report from Kapronasia in Collaboration with Grab

Southeast Asia is one of the most rapidly developing regions in the world and is set to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2030. However, more than 70% of the adult population across the region have limited access to financial services. Millions of SMEs face large funding gaps. The challenges preventing further take-up of financial services need to be overcome.

Digital financial services play an important role in fostering greater financial inclusion. The pandemic accelerated the growth of digital financial services, but access, awareness, and trust remain challenges. Digital financial services providers still have some gaps to fill. 

Based on research that included a survey of 4,800 users across SEA, the Moving the Needle report is a deep-dive into the more nuanced reasons for what is restricting the usage of DFS in the region. The research also examines the pivotal role of fintech in financial inclusion, and the everchanging landscape across the six target Southeast Asian countries in scope.