KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia recorded the largest improvement in financial inclusion rankings globally, climbing six places to 15th in the 2026 Global Financial Inclusion Index by Principal Financial Group and the Centre for Economics and Business Research.
Principal Asset Management Bhd said Malaysia’s overall financial inclusion score rose 5.0 points year over year to 58.2, above the global average of 52.0 out of 100.
The country’s financial system also improved its ranking, up six places to 13th, with its score rising 8.1 points to 59.5, above the global average of 55.3 and Southeast Asia's regional average of 45.6.
The improvement was underpinned by higher volumes of real-time transactions, which lifted Malaysia seven places to ninth, alongside gains in access to capital, access to credit and business confidence.
In addition, Malaysia also ranks fifth globally for employer support, up two places year over year, with a score of 72.6, above the global average of 65.7 and the regional Southeast Asian average of 69.3.
Principal Asset Management Bhd chief executive officer and head Munirah Khairuddin said Malaysia’s performance demonstrated how modernisation of its financial sector could translate into better access to funding, stronger business confidence and broader economic progress.
"Its efforts to digitise financial services have brought more people into the system and transformed access to financial information and products,” she said.
"This has created ripples across the real economy. Scores for the financial system as an enabler of small and medium enterprises’ growth and business confidence have risen, while, at a macro level, the labour market is strengthening and the gross domestic product growth has surged to multi-year highs," she said.
The Index also highlighted the link between digital financial infrastructure and financial inclusion, noting that markets making the strongest progress in financial inclusion in previous editions were also those that had invested most heavily in digital financial infrastructure, particularly financial technology (fintech).
"Malaysia’s momentum shows how an established digital and fintech ecosystem can translate innovation into broader financial inclusion.
"Sustaining that progress will depend on continuing to develop infrastructure and strategy around digital finance, while ensuring innovation is accompanied by the governance and consumer safeguards needed to broaden participation over the long term," said Munirah.
She said initiatives such as the Digital Economy Blueprint, Bank Negara Malaysia's Financial Sector Blueprint and the Securities Commission Malaysia's Capital Market Masterplans have also helped build a vibrant fintech ecosystem while broadening financial inclusion. - Bernama
