2016 financial inclusion data and analysis is now available from the FII Surveys for Indonesia, India, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Bangladesh and Pakistan



Today, the Financial Inclusion Insights’ (FII) team at InterMedia announced the release of its 2016 Financial Inclusion Insights reports and data. Four years of nationally representative survey data and of country reports summarizing key findings about the financial behaviors of adults in Indonesia, India, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Bangladesh and Pakistan are now available and posted to our website: www.finclusion.org.

The data is publicly accessible through the FII Data Fiinder, an interactive data visualization tool found on the FII website. The Fiinder allows users to query the extensive FII data for information tailored to their interests. Key indicators such as account ownership and mobile money awareness across countries, years, and demographic characteristics such as education level or gender can be viewed. Additionally, anyone can request the full set of raw survey data from the research team and join our FII Data Research Community of Practice by following this link here.

FII is an ongoing research program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and designed to build meaningful knowledge about how the financial landscape is changing across the eight countries in Africa and Asia. FII produces data and analysis regarding citizens’ financial lives, attitudes, awareness and use of, access to, and advanced engagement with financial products and services. Through our qualitative and quantitative research, we aim to provide demand-side insights into consumers' financial behaviors, produce information that can guide policy interventions, and identify pathways for the poor to gain the financial tools they need to improve their economic circumstances.

The data is representative of the national population of adults age 15 and older in each of the eight countries. The research design is informed by in-depth feedback from national stakeholders, and poverty status is measured using the Grameen Progress Out of Poverty Index. Enumerators conduct interviews face to face and they typically last approximately one hour.

FII data is one of several key resources for demand-side data. It is unique in that it is annual, comparable across countries, nationally representative with large sample sizes, and examines digital financial services in depth. By comparison, the Finscope Survey is also nationally representative, is produced on an occasional basis, and is not comparable across countries. The global Findex survey covers more countries (148), has smaller sample sizes (1,000-2,000 adults in each country), and covers fewer indicators. It was produced in 2011, 2014, and will be available in 2017. We recommend this summary from CGAP regarding the different data sources, their capabilities, and use-cases for those wishing to learn more.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing key findings from each country on this blog. Over all, the data sends a clear message; financial inclusion continues to deepen, driven by improved enabling environments, increasing phone ownership, and innovative products in the mobile money and digital credit space. Users of digital financial services are becoming more active and using advanced products. Yet, other challenges remain; gender gaps persist in many countries, rural populations continue to be more excluded than urban ones, and growth in financial inclusion has slowed down. Events in specific countries, such as banking industry consolidation, demonetization, and currency crises, have big impacts. The studies also reveal there is a continued need for consumer education and protection and improved financial literacy. In particular, this year, our reports focus on the customer journey and how and why citizens take on different levels of financial engagement.  For instance, why might someone who is aware of mobile money not be a user or only be an over-the-counter user?

Beyond sharing the insights from our research, our mandate is to make all of the data from these surveys, which have now been conducted across the eight FII countries each year since 2013, widely available to the public. We hope you will explore the Fiinder and come up with your own insights regarding how people use and access financial services, their preferences, levels of awareness and capacity, and which factors drive financial behaviors and impact financial lives. Let us know how you are using the data. What observations and questions do you have? What research questions emerge for you? We’d love to hear from you.

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Nadia van de Walle
Senior Research Manager

vandewallen@intermedia.org