The Reserve Bank of India's Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) rose 4.48% during FY26, reaching 70.0 in March 2026 compared to 67.0 in March 2025. According to the central bank's announcement, the improvement was driven primarily by higher usage of banking and other financial services, reflecting the deepening of financial inclusion across the country. The FI-Index, which captures the extent of financial inclusion in India, has been compiled annually since its first publication in August 2021 for the fiscal year ending March 2021. As reported by Business Standard, the central bank announced this development on Thursday, highlighting the sustained progress in financial inclusion across the country.
The FI-Index has been conceptualised as a comprehensive index incorporating details of banking, investments, insurance, postal, and pension sectors, developed in consultation with the government and respective sectoral regulators. As reported by the RBI, the index captures information on various aspects of financial inclusion in a single value ranging between 0 and 100, where 0 represents complete financial exclusion and 100 indicates full financial inclusion. The index comprises three broad parameters -- Access (35%), Usage (45%), and Quality (20%), with each consisting of various dimensions computed based on multiple indicators. According to Business Standard, the Reserve Bank had constructed this composite Financial Inclusion Index in consultation with concerned stakeholders, including the government, demonstrating the collaborative approach to measuring financial inclusion.
According to the RBI's statement, the improvement in the FI-Index this year is mainly on account of an uptick in usage, reflecting the deepening of financial inclusion. The central bank emphasized that growth was witnessed across all sub-indices, indicating broad-based progress in financial inclusion across different sectors and demographic groups. This uniform growth pattern suggests that financial inclusion has become more widespread rather than concentrated in specific regions or population segments, as reported by Business Standard. The consistent improvement across all sub-indices demonstrates the comprehensive nature of India's financial inclusion efforts and their effectiveness in reaching diverse population segments.
