Picture two grandmothers, both in their late sixties, heading to their local market on a Monday morning. One in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, taps her phone to pay for vegetables, checks her government pension in an app, and heads home. The other, in Manila, counts out banknotes, as she has done her whole life. Her phone, if she has one, stays in her pocket.

This contrast is not anecdotal. It reflects one of the most revealing patterns in the Global Findex 2025 database, based on nationally representative surveys across more than 140 countries. In Mongolia, about 90% of adults aged 60 and older make digital merchant payments. In the Philippines and Indonesia, that figure is close to zero.

New analysis of the Findex database reveals a striking generational and geographic divide in digital financial inclusion—and what it means for the world’s fastest-aging region.

 

A region getting older, fast

East Asia and the Pacific is aging faster than almost any other region in the world. By 2050, one in four people will be over 60. How this generation engages with digital financial services will shape individual well-being and broader economic resilience. Yet the Findex data makes clear that the region is not on a single trajectory.

 

High digital adoption in China and Mongolia

Older adults in China and Mongolia are among the most digitally included in the world, with account ownership among those over 60 rising sharply since 2014.

China’s story is well known. Platforms such as WeChat Pay and Alipay built payment ecosystems so ubiquitous that opting out became socially and practically difficult for any age group.

Less recognized is the role of government payments. In countries such as Malaysia, Mongolia, and Thailand, pensions and transfers are almost universally deposited directly into accounts. Rather than traveling to a branch or ATM to withdraw cash, many older adults use these funds directly to pay merchants for everyday purchases.

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