Accessibility outside of the application

Digital banking is one of the most powerful tools Financial inclusionbut it must be done right. In underserved communities, where physical branches are often rare and far apart, mobile banks create access that did not exist before. People can open an account, pay, apply for a loan and save from the device in their pocket.

But accessibility is more than just putting banks into the app. It’s about removing friction. This means intuitive onboarding for people with lower literacy levels, multilingual interfaces, biometric logins for people with formal identity (IDs), and products designed to fit informal income approaches.

With the right digital banking platform, financial institutions can serve small farmers from Southeast Asia without banking to Africa. These are not markets of a certain size, they require flexibility and compassion.

Additionally, serving marginalized communities often comes with high compliance costs and low profit margins. Without a modern and flexible platform, the business cases included will not add up at all.

This is a problem we address by reducing the cost and complexity of starting a digital banking trip. By providing banks with faster and less risky tools, we help financial inclusion not only become possible, but also sustainable.

The role of regulation and public infrastructure

Solving the technical barriers to digital banking is only part of the puzzle. Governments and regulators play a key role in accelerating adoption by removing structural barriers and realizing infrastructure. This starts with a clear regulatory framework and proportional compliance requirements. Strengthening cybersecurity standards and consumer protection is equally critical to building trust in digital financial services – without this foundation, even the most innovative solutions may not gain traction.

At Plumery, we see how banks thrive when operating in a well-defined innovative and friendly regulatory environment. Whether it is dominated by regulations or market-oriented, a more centralized and standardized approach is crucial. Global initiatives such as the European single euro payment zone, India’s unified payment interface and digital ID plan Aadhaar, and Canada’s open banking show how cohesive regulations drive adoption.

Key driving forces include layered understanding of your customers, regulatory sandboxes, and investments in digital ID systems and national connectivity. To promote financial inclusion, the government should incentivize banks and fintech companies to provide affordable digital services to underserved populations, supported by the public literacy campaign. Tax benefits, grants and subsidies for investment in digital transformation will further accelerate progress.

Finally, governments must take digital-first public services and promoting public-private partnerships as examples. These combined efforts create a fertile environment for scalable, inclusive and secure digital banking innovation.

in conclusion

When digital banks align with their local environment, the right tools and support in an innovative and friendly regulatory environment are one of the most scalable ways to close the gap in financial inclusion.