Governments need CBDCs to improve financial inclusion among citizens

CBDCs bridge the 1.3 billion unbanked cash-digital divide. Governments must actively promote them as trusted, low-cost gateways to formal financial inclusion.

Opinion by: Xin Yan, co-founder and CEO of Sign.

Financial exclusion remains one of the most persistent challenges for national governments. World Bank data highlights how more than 1.3 billion adults remain unbanked, without access to a financial account. These people rely on cash, creating a ‘cash-digital divide’, which excludes them from the formal economy.

To bridge the divide, governments need to promote CBDCs actively. As a trusted, risk-free alternative to physical cash, CBDCs are ideal instruments for the financially excluded demographic. With a seamless entry point to the financial ecosystem, mass adoption of CBDCs is a vital catalyst and a foundational pillar for achieving universal financial inclusion.

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