AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
Formal financial inclusion in Nigeria was 85% in urban areas but 58% in rural areas in 2026, a gap of 27 percentage points, according to EFInA's A2F 2026 survey. Women's formal inclusion was 67%, six points below the national rate of 73%.
The main gaps in 2026 (as of October 2026)
| Group | Measure | 2026 | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban adults | Formal inclusion | 85% | National 73% |
| Rural adults | Formal inclusion | 58% | 27 points below urban |
| Women | Formal inclusion | 67% | 6 points below national |
| Digital users | Financially healthy | 33% | Non-users: 9.1% |
| Formally included adults | Can raise ₦156,000 within a week without difficulty | 10.6% | Outside the formal system: 3.7% |
| Adults aged 18 to 35 | Use formal credit | 10% | 4% in 2023 |
| Informally employed adults | Use formal credit | 15% | 5% in 2023 |
| All adults | Pension participation | 9.1% | 8% in 2023 |
Urban and rural
The urban–rural gap is the widest in the 2026 results. Almost nine in ten adults in towns and cities use at least one formal financial product, against fewer than six in ten in rural areas. That gap matters because rural adults generally have fewer bank branches nearby and rely more on cash and agents.
The national rate of 73% sits between the two. EFInA did not publish, in the coverage we could verify, how the rural gap changed since 2023, so we cannot say whether it is narrowing.
Why the rural figure matters for national targets
Because cities are already close to saturation, with 85% formally included, most of the remaining progress towards national targets has to come from rural areas. Industry and regulators have discussed a goal of 80% inclusion by 2030. Raising rural formal inclusion from 58% towards urban levels would do more for that goal than any further gain in the cities. For providers, that means agents, simple account opening, and products that work on basic phones and in areas with weak network coverage.
For researchers, the rural figure is also the most sensitive to survey design. Weighting, sample sizes in remote areas and security conditions during fieldwork can all affect it, so it is worth reading EFInA's methodology before drawing conclusions about change over time.
Women
Women's formal inclusion was 67% in 2026, against 73% for all adults. EFInA did not publish a figure for men in the coverage we found. At the 2020 survey's launch, formal inclusion was reported as 45% for women and 56% for men, an 11-point gap. Those launch figures were later revised in EFInA's overall series, so the 2020 and 2026 gender figures may not be directly comparable, but both show women behind.
EFInA has published a separate Assessment of Women's Financial Inclusion in Nigeria based on its 2018 survey, which is the best place to look for the reasons behind the gap. We have not summarised its findings because we could not open it directly.
Financial health: the gap inside inclusion
The 2026 survey's main finding was that being included is not the same as being financially secure. About one in four adults was classed as financially healthy, against 73% formally included, a gap EFInA put at 48 percentage points. Among formally included adults, 30.7% were healthy and about 60.4 million were vulnerable or merely coping.
| Indicator (2026) | Formally included | Not formally included |
|---|---|---|
| Can raise ₦156,000 within 7 days without difficulty | 10.6% | 3.7% |
| Indicator (2026) | Digital users | Non-users |
|---|---|---|
| Financially healthy | 33% | 9.1% |
Digital users were more than three times as likely to be financially healthy as non-users. That does not prove digital services cause better health; people with higher and steadier incomes are more likely to use them. But it suggests the gap between those online and offline is about more than convenience.
Reading the financial health figures
The financial health classification is EFInA's own, and we could not open its methodology, so quote it as EFInA's measure rather than as a simple income test. The ₦156,000 indicator is easier to quote: it reflects whether a person could raise that sum within seven days without difficulty. Only about one formally included adult in ten said yes. For comparison purposes, quote it with the amount, the period and the year, because the threshold may change between survey rounds as prices rise.
Young people, informal workers and retirement
- Young adults (18 to 35): formal credit use rose from 4% in 2023 to 10% in 2026.
- Informally employed adults: formal credit use rose from 5% to 15%, faster than the national average.
- Pensions: only 9.1% of adults participate in a pension. PenCom's Director-General said at the launch that roughly nine out of every ten Nigerians are not covered for retirement. Most workers in the informal sector have no employer scheme, so the gap is largest there.
The rise in credit use among young and informal workers is a sign of wider access, but the same survey found that 45.8% of formal borrowers reported repayment stress. See formal credit use in Nigeria and, for loan apps, FCCPC-approved digital lenders.
How we put this together
- All 2026 figures are from EFInA's A2F 2026 survey (fieldwork April to June 2026, 18,679 interviews), as reported in the press coverage listed below. We could not open the full report or datasets directly.
- 2020 gender figures are from press coverage of the 2020 survey launch in June 2021 and may differ from EFInA's revised 2020 figures.
- Gaps: men's inclusion rate for 2026, results by state, zone, income and age band other than those shown were not in sources we could verify. We have not estimated them.
- For the national picture, see EFInA A2F 2026 results and the series since 2008.
Questions people ask
What is the gender gap in financial inclusion in Nigeria?
Women's formal inclusion was 67% in 2026 against 73% for all adults, according to EFInA. In 2020 launch figures, it was 45% for women and 56% for men.
How financially included are rural Nigerians?
58% of rural adults were formally included in 2026, against 85% of urban adults, according to EFInA.
How many Nigerians are financially healthy?
About one adult in four in 2026. Among formally included adults the share was 30.7%.
How many Nigerians have a pension?
9.1% of adults participated in a pension in 2026, according to EFInA, up from 8% in 2023.
Sources
- The Guardian Nigeria: EFInA A2F 2026 survey results (17 Sep 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- NAN: 94.2m Nigerians use financial products, formal inclusion hits 73%, EFInA (23 Sep 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Legit.ng: EFInA A2F 2026 findings on financial health and credit (6 Oct 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- 21st Century Chronicle: EFInA A2F 2020 results, 38m adults excluded (4 Jun 2021) · accessed Oct 2026
- EFInA: Research and A2F survey series 2008 to 2023 · accessed Oct 2026
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