More people can save, access credit, or protect themselves against risks. But the real impact of financial inclusion is not measured solely by the number of accounts opened or products available. It is measured by people's ability to use them in an informed and sustainable way. Financial inclusion opens the door. Financial education determines how far one can go once that door is open. However, the same report warns that between 1.3 and 1.4 billion adults remain outside the financial system, and even among those who already have access to a product, there are significant limitations to using it effectively. In other words, financial inclusion has advanced faster than the ability to take advantage of it. Mexico reflects this dynamic well. According to the National Survey of Financial Inclusion (ENIF) 2024, 76.5% of people aged 18 to 70 have at least one formal financial product, representing an increase of more than eight percentage points compared to 2015. The country has significantly expanded access to the financial system: 63% of the population has a savings account, 37.7% has some formal credit, 22.9% has insurance, and 42.2% has a retirement savings account. However, access alone does not guarantee financial stability. A significant proportion of Mexican households continues to rely on informal mechanisms to face economic emergencies or manage their liquidity. The digitization of payments, the expansion of mobile banking, and the growth of the fintech ecosystem have allowed millions of people to access financial products for the first time. But behind this progress, a relevant question arises for the real economy: does having access necessarily mean exercising it with knowledge? The data suggest that this is not always the case. According to the World Bank's Global Findex, nearly 79% of adults worldwide today have a financial account, a significant jump from the 51% recorded in 2011. This phenomenon suggests that the real challenge is no longer just to expand access to the financial system, but to strengthen people's ability to use it strategically. From the experience of the financial sector, this is clearly observed in user behavior. For example, within Provident's client base in Mexico, 66% of the portfolio is made up of women, with an average loan amount of 8,114 pesos, slightly higher than the male average. Even more relevant is that a significant proportion of these clients reuse credit as a financial tool: 14% apply for a second loan and 13% for a third, which reflects that financing can become a recurring instrument to manage expenses or strengthen economic activities. In some cases, these resources are even used to finance small productive activities, a use that grew after the pandemic. But these benefits do not happen automatically. Credit, savings, or insurance can be powerful tools to improve the economic stability of households, but they also involve risks when used without sufficient information or adequate financial planning. That is why more and more international organizations have begun to link financial inclusion with a topic that for years seemed foreign to the financial system: education. Sustainable Development Goal 4, which promotes quality education, has also become a benchmark for the development of financial capabilities. Over the last decade, financial inclusion has advanced at a pace that seemed unlikely just a few years ago. Understanding basic concepts such as budgeting, saving, credit, financial protection, or investing has become an essential economic skill in an increasingly digital reality. The expansion of the financial system is, without a doubt, good news. In low- and middle-income economies, around 75% of the adult population has access to an account, driven mainly by the expansion of digital payments and mobile financial products. The advance is undeniable.
