Nairobi, April 27 -- There was a time when access to financial services in Kenya meant long queues and limited options. Today, financial inclusion has expanded at an unprecedented pace, powered by mobile technology and digital credit. Money is now faster, closer, and more accessible than ever before.

Beneath this progress lies a more complex question: how resilient are Kenyans when access has improved, but financial pressure has intensified?

Insights from Tala's latest MoneyMarch report shed light on this reality. If access was the defining story of the past decade, resilience is the defining story of now. Kenyans are more financially included than ever, yet increasingly stretched.

About 89 percent of households report that rising cost...