Beyond the Basics: Rethinking National Financial Literacy Strategies in Diverse Contexts and the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

Individuals today face financial decisions that are more complex, more digital, and increasingly mediated by algorithms. At the same time, the responsibility for financial security has shifted from governments and employers onto individuals. In response, many countries have adopted National Financial Literacy Strategies (NFLS) to better coordinate efforts around financial education, consumer protec-tion, and inclusion. Yet, outcomes remain uneven, and we still lack a clear picture of how these strategies actually function and adapt as finance becomes more digital and more driven by artificial intelligence. In this chapter, we take a comparative look at NFLS across both advanced and emerging economies. Rather than treating them as transferable best practices, we frame them as institutional arrangements that are deeply shaped by local context. Drawing on evidence from multiple coun-tries, we develop a structured framework that helps explain why national approaches differ systematically when it comes to objectives, governance, delivery, targeting, and evaluation capacity. Using benchmarking data from the OECD and INFE, we also document persistent gaps between digital financial literacy and overall financial literacy, gaps that show up even in high income countries. We argue that AI repre-sents more than just another type of technology. It is a structural shift in household (personal) finance. And in this new environment, financial literacy and regulation are not substitutes. They are complements that work best when they are designed to work together. Finally, we outline a set of forward-looking design principles for next generation NFLS, organized around capability, evidence, inclusion, and institutional coordination.