Financial insecurity is a global problem, with millions of people around the world struggling to pay their bills and lacking the savings to weather a sudden loss of income.
Financial health provides a more holistic view of welfare, and can be a more effective measure of economic wellbeing than traditional indicators. [1]
Financial health is a multi-faceted concept that requires understanding both the end results and the root causes.
Measuring financial health offers a more nuanced understanding of wellbeing than traditional financial inclusion metrics.
By putting customers' financial health first, financial institutions can both grow their businesses and help their customers achieve long-term success.
While financial inclusion is a critical starting point, achieving financial health requires more than access to financial services. It requires economic resilience and financial freedom.
Financial health is more layered and complex than the relatively straightforward concept of financial inclusion. In this section, the UNCDF working paper does a great job in unpacking what we mean by financial health and identify its parameters. The following two questions in particular help explain the concept of financial health in more concrete terms: (1) what are financial health outcomes? and (2) what are the drivers (or determinants) of financial health outcomes?
The outcomes of financial health are often conflated with its determinants. We must disentangle these components to be clear about what we are aiming for (outcomes) and how we get there (determinants). UNCDF uses an hourglass framework to explain financial health determinants and their relationship to financial health outcomes. Determinants are classified as environmental, human and individual, which in various combinations lead to financial health outcomes.