Saudi Arabia has risen three places to 27th in the 2026 Global Financial Inclusion Index, supported by stronger government assistance and investment in digital financial infrastructure.The kingdom's overall score increased to 48.6 from 45.0 a year earlier, according to the assessment released by Principal Financial Group and the Centre for Economics and Business Research. The annual index evaluates 42 markets on the support offered by governments, financial institutions and employers.
Government support was the principal driver of Saudi Arabia's improvement, with its score in that category increasing by 5.1 points. The kingdom moved up two positions to 20th for government support and one position to eighth for employer support. Its ranking for financial system support remained unchanged at 35th.
The findings also placed Saudi Arabia among five markets designated as potential next-generation leaders in financial technology. It achieved 20 out of 20 in a separate assessment of national fintech strategies, the highest possible score, reflecting the scope and detail of its policy framework.
That assessment examined measurable objectives, financing commitments, implementation arrangements, digital public infrastructure and plans to integrate artificial intelligence into financial services. The classification measures the strength of national strategies rather than guaranteeing their eventual delivery or commercial success.
Charles Brooke, senior managing director and head of Middle East, Central Asia and Africa at Principal Asset Management, said Saudi Arabia had incorporated financial technology into its wider national development programme rather than treating innovation as a standalone objective.
The index identified improvements in the financial sector's contribution to business activity despite Saudi Arabia's comparatively low overall financial system ranking. The kingdom placed second globally for the financial system's role in supporting small and medium-sized enterprise growth, scoring 95.2, and fifth for its contribution to general business confidence.
The United Arab Emirates led the small-business measure with 96.4 points and ranked fourth for business confidence. Its overall financial inclusion ranking improved one position to 21st, placing it six places ahead of Saudi Arabia.
Both Gulf economies benefited from stronger government support, although the annual increase was smaller in the UAE, at 1.4 points. The contrast with the previous edition is significant: financial system improvements had been the main contributor to their gains in 2025, whereas government support led progress this year.
Consumer survey findings presented alongside the index showed Saudi Arabia and the UAE among the five highest-ranked markets for overall perceptions of financial inclusion. Saudi Arabia ranked third and the UAE fifth for respondents' assessments of how supportive their financial systems were.
Saudi Arabia also recorded the largest increase among surveyed markets since 2022 in the proportion of people viewing government as a helpful source of financial support. That share rose by 40.4 percentage points over the five-year comparison period, indicating a substantial shift in public perceptions.
The findings nevertheless distinguish between institutional support and direct access to financial services. The index primarily measures the conditions that enable inclusion, rather than simply counting bank accounts or transactions. Its rankings therefore should not be interpreted as equivalent to household-level measures of financial access.
Separate World Bank Global Findex figures for 2024 showed that 78.8 per cent of Saudi adults held an account with a financial institution or mobile money provider. Account ownership stood at 81.8 per cent among men and 73.5 per cent among women, highlighting a continuing difference in access.
Globally, the Principal index's average financial inclusion score reached 52 out of 100, its highest level since the series began. Financial system support increased by 4.4 points to 55.3, exceeding the improvement recorded for government support.
Employer support moved in the opposite direction, falling 2.9 points to 65.7. Scores declined in 83 per cent of the markets assessed, reflecting pressure on discretionary workplace benefits and changes in how financial guidance and assistance are provided.
The index also provides a comparative picture of how different sources of support interact. A market can perform strongly on employer assistance while remaining weaker on banking infrastructure, as Saudi Arabia’s eighth-place employer ranking and 35th-place financial system position particularly clearly illustrate.
The research also found that consumer perceptions of financial inclusion had fallen to their lowest level in the series, despite the improvement in measured support. The divergence suggests that stronger institutions and digital services do not necessarily translate immediately into greater confidence among households facing financial pressures.
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