AI can offer employers new ways to strengthen financial guidance, increase benefits access, and support employee financial well-being.
Employer support for financial inclusion declined for a second consecutive year in 2026, according to the latest Global Financial Inclusion Index. It was the only one of the Index’s three pillars to decline, even as government and financial system support improved.
The decline was widespread. Employer support scores fell in 35 of the 42 markets assessed, bringing the global score down 2.9 points. Advanced economies experienced the most pronounced pullback, with scores falling by an average of 3.4 points, four times the 0.9-point average decline across emerging markets.
Only seven markets improved their employer support scores, five of which were emerging economies.
35 out of 42 markets saw their employer support scores for financial inclusion decrease in the last 12 months.
The findings mark a reversal from earlier gains. Between 2022 and 2024, advanced economies increased employer support at a faster rate than emerging markets. Over the following two years, however, much of that progress was lost as employers responded to challenging business conditions and changes in the wider financial ecosystem.
The decline was not consistent across every type of workplace support. In advanced economies, the largest two-year reductions occurred in comparatively discretionary areas. Financial guidance and support fell by an average of 6.7 points, while flexible-pay initiatives declined by 5.8 points. Employer support for insurance and pension contributions remained broadly stable.
The steepest declines generally occurred in markets that had previously recorded some of the strongest gains, particularly those in Oceania and Northern and Western Europe.
AI presents an opportunity for employers.
The Index also indicates that many European employers may have an opportunity to use artificial intelligence to make workplace benefits and financial resources easier for employees to access and understand.
In Finland, Norway, and Sweden, 16% of businesses surveyed said they did not use AI. The figure was 17% in Italy and 14% in both Denmark and the U.K.
Even when European businesses use AI, relatively few apply it to employee benefits or financial support. This creates a potential conversion gap between adopting the technology and using it to improve employees’ access to workplace resources. Turkey, the Netherlands, Poland, and Ireland are among the exceptions.
Southeast Asia and the Middle East are the strongest regions for business AI adoption. These regions also experienced less severe declines in employer support than many European markets. The findings don't establish that AI adoption caused the difference, but they point to an opportunity for employers facing economic and operational pressures.
Southeast Asia and the Middle East are the strongest regions for business AI adoption. These regions also experienced less severe declines in employer support than many European markets. The findings don't establish that AI adoption caused the difference, but they point to an opportunity for employers facing economic and operational pressures.
Europe’s steepest employer support falls have been in discretionary areas such as financial guidance and flexible pay, services AI can help deliver more efficiently, personally, and at scale. Used well, AI can simplify benefit enrolment, provide timely, tailored guidance, identify gaps in employee uptake, and direct people to relevant support.
With appropriate governance, transparency, and human oversight, AI could help organizations improve how employees interact with pensions, insurance, financial guidance, and flexible-pay options. It cannot eliminate the economic pressures confronting employers, but it may help them make existing support more accessible and effective.
The workplace can also serve as an important and trusted connection point for financial information and support. People may first encounter many of the tools that contribute to their financial security through work, from retirement savings and insurance to workplace benefits and financial education. That puts employers in a unique position to help employees understand their options, connect with relevant resources, and make more informed financial decisions. At a time when both businesses and households are navigating economic pressure, that role remains an important part of advancing financial inclusion.
