The philosophical value of financial inclusion is rooted in Adam Smith’s moral philosophy. Financial inclusion efforts in Malaysia and Singapore are focused on the issues faced by BNM and MAS in banking the unbanked. Malaysia struggles with limited physical access to financial services, while Singapore’s challenge is the low financial and digital literacy among migrant workers. Blockchain-based mobile banking is a potential solution to improve access to financial services for individuals. For businesses, the financing gaps for MSMEs and SMEs in both countries point to the ineffectiveness of traditional crowdfunding. Crypto crowdfunding via initial decentralized offerings (IDOs) could help businesses leverage DeFi to access global fundraising networks. On the international level, projects such as the BIS’ Project Dunbar and the MAS’ Project Partior are exploring blockchain solutions to improve speed and reduce costs for cross-border remittance, resulting in multipartisan debates around the use of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) that could disrupt global financial monopolies and promote greater individual autonomy.