Financial inclusion efforts seek to ensure that all households and businesses, regardless of income level, have access to and can effectively use the appropriate financial services they need to improve their lives. And whereas financial resources themselves are the biggest obstacle to financial inclusion, there is more to it when looking at some other underlying obstacles. These include the distance from a financial service provider, lack of necessary identification and related documentation, and lack of trust in financial service providers.

Access to finance is a fundamental component of any business operation, the lack of which turns into a key constraint to growth and investment. In particular for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), sufficient business-enabling infrastructure also serves as a sanctioning component that facilitates accessibility to financial resources.