The World Bank, USAID, and other global development institutions must
   invest more to expand access to financial services, particularly among
   women, according to a Devex survey. The survey of 900 development
   professionals, which was conducted in March, showed that about
   two-thirds of respondents believe development institutions are making a
   mistake by not doing more on financial inclusion, which they see as
   crucial to progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development
   Goals.
   Improved trust in mobile money and other digital services can be a
   crucial barrier breaker in attracting more people to access financial
   services, Devex community members said in the survey. The cost of such
   services and digital and financial literacy were the other two barriers
   to more adoption.
   Why it matters: The U.N. considers financial inclusion — providing
   banking and other financial tools to low-income people and businesses —
   as key to grasping the SDGs. If institutions like the World Bank and
   USAID fail to deliver, it could hurt the achievement of at least eight
   of the 17 SDGs.