Financial literacy and financial inclusion are widely regarded as twin pillars of inclusive economic growth, yet the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population of Kerala continues to lag behind the State’s otherwise high human development indicators in access to and effective use of formal financial services. This study examines the level of financial literacy and financial inclusion among tribal households in Kerala, identifies the socio-economic and demographic determinants that shape these levels, and tests the inter-relationship between financial literacy and financial inclusion. A descriptive-cum-analytical research design was adopted, and primary data were collected from tribal respondents residing in the tribal-concentrated districts of Wayanad, Idukki and Palakkad using a structured interview schedule administered through multi-stage stratified random sampling. The study employed descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, Karl Pearson’s correlation and multiple regression to analyse the data. The findings indicate that the overall level of financial literacy among tribal respondents is moderate to low, financial inclusion is skewed toward basic savings-bank-account ownership with limited usage of credit, insurance and digital financial services, and financial literacy emerges as a significant positive determinant of the depth of financial inclusion, along with education, income, occupation and exposure to Self-Help Groups (SHGs). The study concludes with policy-relevant suggestions for community-specific financial literacy interventions and recommends that a full-scale field survey be conducted to validate and extend the illustrative findings reported here.