On 20 February, AFI’s South Asia Region Financial Inclusion Initiative (SARFII) met in Kathmandu, Nepal, to provide updates on the state of financial inclusion from across the region, identify opportunities for collaboration, and develop an impactful Strategic Action Plan for 2026-2030.
During the event, co-hosted by Nepal Rastra Bank, member institutions from Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Maldives presented national updates on financial inclusion progress and issues. SARFII Leaders shared inputs towards the draft 2026-2030 strategic action plan, voted to amend the SARFII’s Charter, and endorsed the bridging 2025 workplan, which includes:
- Developing structural contents for an Annual SARFII Regional Outlook Report
- Identifying key country comparison measurements & indicators
- Assessing the Financial Inclusion Scoring Model from SARFII Region
- Conducting an assessment analysis on Microfinance Digital Transactions
- Member driven knowledge sharing session
“The SARFII vision emphasizes 5 Cs: Collaboration, Cross-Regional partnership, Commitments, Capacity Enhancement, and Country-centric projects,” said Nangsi Dema, AFI Regional Manager, Asia. “Thanks to commendable leadership stability and the cooperation of members, SARFII has a clear vision and is well positioned to drive inclusive, innovative and stable growth across South Asia.”
Looking forward, SARFII’s Expert Group on Financial Inclusion Policy will meet in July 2025, while the next SARFII Leaders Roundtable will take place during the 2025 AFI Global Policy Forum in Namibia.
Earlier in the week, AFI and Nepal Rastra Bank co-hosted a successful regional training event for AFI members, on Enhancing Cyber Resilience for Digital Payments and Infrastructure.
You can learn more about SARFII’s mission, activities and members on its webpage.