Rewiring the System: Financial Education As Infrastructure, Not Isolated Programs

This brief reframes financial education as a supporting component of financial capability infrastructure rather than a primary consumer protection tool. Global evidence and MSC’s experience across 50+ countries reveal that financial education delivers modest but durable results when targeted, behavior-linked, and delivered at teachable moments. Meaningful consumer outcomes depend on structural interventions, such as product design, disclosure standards, provider accountability, liability frameworks, and effective grievance redress mechanisms.