Ezulwini– The Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE) has noted that understanding why some emaSwati remain excluded from formal financial services is just as important as measuring how many people have access to them, with the launch of the FinScope Eswatini 2026 Consumer Survey expected to provide answers that existing banking data cannot.
Speaking virtually during the survey’s launch at the CBE Complex, Ezulwini, Deputy Governor Felicia Dlamini- Kunene said the Central Bank receives extensive data from financial institutions on accounts, loans and transactions, but that information does not explain how consumers experience the financial system.
She said supply-side data cannot reveal why some bank accounts remain inactive, why informal traders continue to save cash instead of using formal financial institutions, why some farmers have never considered insurance, or what young people entering the workforce expect from financial service providers.
“These are the insights that data from financial institutions cannot provide, yet they are critical to understanding how people engage with the financial system and where the barriers to inclusion still exist,” she said.
Dlamini- Kunene said the nationwide survey would collect information directly from households across the country’s four regions, providing policymakers and financial institutions with a clearer understanding of people’s financial needs, behaviors, challenges and aspirations.
She said the information gathered would help ensure financial sector policies and products are informed by the lived experiences of ordinary emaSwati rather than institutional data alone.
Unlike previous editions, the 2026 survey will place greater emphasis on measuring financial health, assessing whether financial products help consumers meet their daily needs, withstand financial shocks and achieve long-term financial goals.
The study will also examine the uptake of digital financial services and consumers’ exposure to financial and cyber fraud as more financial transactions migrate to digital platforms.
In addition, the survey will produce disaggregated data by gender, age, disability, income and geographical location to identify disparities in financial inclusion and support targeted interventions for underserved groups.
The DG noted that the last FinScope Consumer Survey was conducted in 2018 and said the latest exercise would also enable Eswatini to benchmark its progress against other countries where the internationally recognized survey has been conducted.
She said the success of the project would depend on collaboration between the Central Bank, the Eswatini Economic Policy Analysis and Research Centre (ESEPARC), the Central Statistical Office (CSO), FinMark Trust and other stakeholders represented on the Survey Steering Committee.
Discussion about this post