AI and Web 3.0 to Revolutionize Financial Inclusion by 2025

As of August 2025, over 1 billion people worldwide still lack access to formal financial systems, and a staggering $5.2 trillion credit gap prevents small businesses in emerging markets from growing. However, the combination of AI and Web 3.0 technologies is poised to revolutionize financial inclusion in the coming years.

Financial institutions are now harnessing AI to develop advanced methods for determining consumers' intent to repay loans and using alternative datasets, such as mobile usage and merchant transactions, to unlock collateral-free credit for those most in need. Startups in Kenya, Indonesia, and Brazil have already been utilizing these innovative approaches to deliver microloans and insurance to last-mile customers overlooked by traditional banks.

Yet, financial exclusion cannot be solved by technology alone. Policymakers are being urged to create inclusion frameworks that embed equity and access directly into the financial system, building global infrastructure where inclusion is the norm, not the exception. This requires sustained collaboration between the public and private sectors to overcome complexities and ensure progress is resilient and deeply rooted.

As the world enters a new technological age, AI, digital token networks, and quantum information systems are set to transform global financial inclusion, providing everyone with safe and affordable access to the global economy.