The digital shift’s access gaps and how to close them

This article is based on a panel discussion at an NCR Atleos customer event in India.

As banking services become primarily digital, gaps in access are making them out of reach for many who need them most.

Residents of rural communities without reliable connectivity, workers paid in cash and customers who live far from formal banking channels are increasingly finding themselves on the wrong side of the innovation curve. The result is a widening gap between digital progress and real-world access, between “haves” and “have-nots.”

Yes, the digital transformation has moved the branch from the street corner to the screen. It has made the transaction process faster, more convenient and more empowering for many consumers and small businesses. But the process has growing pains, which are creating access gaps which must be filled.

As banking services become primarily digital, gaps in access are putting them out of reach for many. ‍

3 gaps in access

These gaps cannot be closed by launching more user-friendly apps or modernizing platforms for inclusiveness. For digital transformation to be truly inclusive, we must ensure that everywhere it happens, it happens equitably. That means meeting people where they are, with the tools they use, in the moments that matter. We can do that by recognizing these real-life gaps in access and designing with them in mind.

The first gap is connectivity. In many remote regions, reliable internet and mobile services remain limited or intermittent. Parts of the Philippines and Indonesia, like many other large archipelagos and rural geographies, face infrastructure challenges that make persistent, high-quality connectivity hard to guarantee. A mobile-first banking strategy can fall short when users are offline for long stretches or have to travel to a population center to connect. The technology exists, but the road to using it is uneven.‍

The ability of digital transformation to extend financial access to everyone who needs it is as important a measure of its success as its technological sophistication.

The second gap is the persistence of cash. Cash is essential in many economies because it is universal, immediate and trusted. It’s still good when the power is out or systems or devices are unavailable. Even as digital payments rise, cash handling is still part of everyday life for merchants, transport operators, households—even economies. A purely digital banking model can inadvertently make things harder for cash-dependent customers because it means finding a way to convert cash to digital value before they can use it. If it costs money to spend money, it’s a problem.

The third gap is low penetration. In some markets, fewer than half of adults hold a bank account. Distance from a branch, the cost of travel and limited financial literacy can conspire to keep customers outside the formal system. When onboarding requires multiple visits or complex documentation, the friction compounds. For those who don’t think they can afford to miss a day of work to open an account, the choice is often just to keep working.

Proven strategies for bridging the gaps

The good news is that these gaps can be closed by blending technology with a human touch. ‍

Agent banking has proven to be a critical bridge between fully digital services and the realities of underserved communities where mobile or internet connectivity is weak.

By deploying local agents, banks bring services closer to where people live and work. Agents can support cash deposits and withdrawals, help enroll new customers and provide guidance in local languages. They transform complex tasks into familiar encounters. When a customer can open an account with a neighbor’s help, trust grows and barriers fall. Agent networks also offer resilience. In places where connectivity is uneven, agents can batch transactions or use intermittent connectivity to keep services moving.

This model was piloted in Kenya in 2010, when the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) made the decision to allow financial institutions to contract third parties to deliver banking services on their behalf. Since then, the model has gone nationwide in Kenya.

Banks such as Equity Bank, KCB Bank Kenya, Cooperative Bank of Kenya and Family Bank have dramatically expanded their reach through extensive agent networks. Equity’s “Equity Agents” and KCB’s “KCB Mtaani” programs are repeatedly cited as standout examples of scale and impact, bringing cashin/cashout, bill payment and account opening services to rural and low-income communities.  

The Kenya pilot is widely regarded as one of the most successful implementations of agent banking globally. Although Kenya is the most documented case, the financial inclusion impact and cost-efficiency of the agent banking model there has inspired similar efforts in Nigeria, Ghana and East Africa. Variants of the model have been adopted for financial inclusion endeavors in South Asia, Latin America and Southeast Asia.‍

ATM innovation is another powerful lever. Today’s ATMs can do much more than dispense cash. They can become mini-branches that handle account opening, accept bulk cash deposits, process bill payments, top up wallets and enable video banking for remote assistance. This approach has been proven to extend branch footprints without the costs of adding branches by shifting transactions to self service. For customers, it maximizes access turning a nearby machine into a gateway to broader services. When ATMs are designed for accessibility, with clear flows and multilingual support, they can help bridge digital and physical experiences.

Collaborative ecosystems make all of this scalable. Banks partnering with fintechs can integrate capabilities faster and deliver new features without reinventing the wheel.

Regulatory sandboxes, where regulators temporarily waive certain licensing requirements or capital constraints that would normally make it difficult for a small startup to launch, can allow the piloting of innovative approaches while protecting public interests.

Shared infrastructure for identity, payments and data exchange can reduce friction across the system. The goal is not to build everything in-house but to orchestrate a network where each participant contributes strengths that collectively advance inclusion.

Importantly, these strategies should be guided by local insight. A solution that works in one market might falter in another if it ignores cultural norms, cash cycles or regulatory nuances. Grounding design in community engagement, as well as iterative testing with real users, can ensure that services are not only available but genuinely usable.

Designing with inclusion in mind

Inclusive digital services are as much about the customer experience as they are about access. They begin with simple, transparent journeys. Onboarding should be short and clear. Identity verification should be flexible, allowing for alternative documents where appropriate. Interfaces should be readable and intuitive, with language options and visual cues that reduce cognitive load. Customer support should be reachable through chat, video banking or other means.

This also requires a view of the customer's whole financial life. In practical application, this means offering products that adapt to sporadic cash flow for customers who earn irregular incomes, savings tools that nudge but do not penalize, microinsurance that is priced for daily realities and credit that recognizes informal income patterns and uses responsible risk models.

When financial institutions build for the lives people lead, engagement becomes natural. Customers will adopt digital tools when they believe their money is safe and their data is respected. Trust is earned in moments, often at the edges of the experience: a helpful agent, a human face on a screen or a machine that works on the first try.

Clear communication about fees, authentication that is usable on low-end devices and swift resolution when issues arise can make the difference between a first transaction and a lasting relationship.

‍Conclusion: Achieving progress through inclusive digital ecosystems ‍

Digital transformation isn’t a one-time proposition. It’s a capability that evolves with markets, technologies and customer expectations. Its ability to extend financial access to everyone who needs it should be as important a measure of its success as its technological sophistication.

Closing the gap requires investment in infrastructure to put connectivity and cash digitization within reach. That takes persistent collaboration across financial institutions regulators and communities, products that flex with local realities and modernizing touchpoints for experiences that invite participation (like ATMs and agent networks).

The future will be hybrid by design. Screens will complement storefronts. Algorithms will sit alongside advice and cash will be accepted alongside digital payments. In that blended model, more people will be able to enter the formal system and thrive within it.

Digital banking and financial inclusion can and should do more than coexist. When technology is combined with a human touch, when trust is built with clarity and consistency and when access is designed into every step, digital transformation can become a force for inclusion.

Financial inclusion is both a responsibility and an opportunity. The institutions that lead will be those that put accessibility at the heart of transformation. They will design journeys that welcome first-time users and deepen relationships with long-time customers. They will shape ecosystems that are safe to innovate in and robust enough to scale.

In the end, progress will be measured by real outcomes. A farmer who can save securely. A gig worker who can cover a health expense. A small business that can accept payments and access credit. These are the signals that inclusion is working. They are also the outcomes that strengthen communities and economies.

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