UAE Ranks First for Financial System Support to SMEs in Global Financial Inclusion Index

The country scored 96.4 on that measure, the highest of any market in the index, and ranked fourth for how well its financial system supports business confidence, according to the UAE results released on Tuesday. Both scores improved from last year, even as global perceptions of the financial system's role in SME growth and business confidence declined.

Overall, the UAE moved up one place to 21st of the 42 markets tracked. The index scores markets on three pillars: government support, financial system support and employer support, drawing on public data and surveys covering access to payments, savings, credit and insurance.

The UAE's government support score rose 1.4 points, though its rank held at 19th. Its financial system pillar rose two places to 22nd. On employer support it slipped one place to seventh, with a score of 68.5 against a global average of 65.7. UAE employers ranked fourth for financial guidance, fifth for pay initiatives and ninth for insurance plans.

The UAE also sits in the global top five for overall perceptions of financial inclusion, ranking fifth for how supportive residents find the financial system.

"The UAE's number one global ranking for the financial system as an enabler of SME growth and success points to the strength of the financial ecosystem supporting businesses in the country," said Charles Brooke, senior managing director and head of Middle East, Central Asia and Africa at Principal Asset Management.

The UAE's results run against a weaker global picture on sentiment. In the global edition published on November 4, Principal said the overall index reached 52.0 out of 100, up from 49.4 in 2025, with the financial system pillar posting the largest gain, up 4.4 points to 55.3. Employer support fell to 65.7 from 68.6. Only 57.6% of people surveyed said they felt financially included, the lowest level the index has recorded and down from 74.8% in 2022. Singapore ranked first overall for the fifth year running.

Principal and Cebr attributed much of the improvement in measured inclusion to digitalisation, while cost-of-living pressures and rising expectations widened the gap between what the data shows and how people feel about their access to finance.