This year’s APEC Economic Policy Report (AEPR) discusses the crucial topic of Structural Reform and Financial Inclusion, addressing both demand-side and supply-side issues through structural reforms to facilitate all people to access and utilise financial services.

The report highlights that financial inclusion should be a deliberate and deliberative process. Inclusion does not spontaneously happen; it needs to be built in from the start and actively implemented. Even as APEC economies have expanded access to financial services—for example, more than 8 in 10 people in the region have a financial or mobile money account—more can be done to ensure that these services are accessible to all people. From incentivising financial sector competition and innovation to promoting financial literacy and reasonable accommodation practices, structural reform can play an important role in expanding equitable access to quality financial services for all people.