Tyler Girard, "Financial Inclusion: How an Idea Became a Global Agenda" (Stanford UP, 2026)

The

number of people in the world with a bank account or money service

provider increased by 2 billion over the past decade. This phenomenon

reflects what Dr. Tyler Girard calls the global financial inclusion

agenda. This agenda emerged in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and

quickly became a prominent feature of global economic governance.

The

core idea of financial inclusion is that all individuals and businesses

should have access to and use formal financial services, including bank

accounts, payment services, credit, and insurance. Today, the

widespread ability to digitally store and transfer money has impacted

every aspect of our lives. What explains the emergence and evolution of