Salutations
- Governor Maiava Atalina Emma Ainuu-Enari, Central Bank of Samoa
- PIRI Member Institutions and our distinguished delegates from Bank of Moçambique and the Bank of Ghana
- Colleagues from the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI)
- Partners, Stakeholders, Ladies, and Gentlemen
Talofa lava and a warm good morning to everyone!
On behalf of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), it is my pleasure to welcome you all to the Regional Workshop on SupTech as a Shared Inclusive Digital Infrastructure for advancing Digital Financial Inclusion in the Pacific.
We gather here in beautiful Apia, Samoa—an apt setting for this important conversation, as the Pacific region continues to exemplify collaboration, resilience, and a shared commitment to advancing financial inclusion. Despite the intensifying low-pressure system, our spirit remains strong, undeterred in our pursuit of this crucial and timely discussion.
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Governor Atalina for graciously agreeing to host this workshop. We also wish to thank Lanna and the team from the Central Bank of Samoa for their invaluable support in making this event possible.
We have a total of 54 registrations, with full attendance from all PIRI members, representation from our colleagues from the Bank of Mozambique and the Bank of Ghana, reflecting a robust commitment to inclusivity. The gender balance is particularly noteworthy, with 28 female and 26 male participants, underscoring our collective effort to ensure diverse perspectives in shaping the outcomes of this workshop.
Context and Purpose
Today’s workshop marks a key milestone in our collective journey to modernize supervisory processes in PIRI (Pacific Islands Regional Initiative). PIRI leaders have clearly voiced the need to advance from diagnostics to implementation, recognizing that manual or fragmented supervisory processes constrain our ability to combat de-risking, oversee expanding digital financial services (DFS), and safeguard vulnerable groups against exclusion. Climate-related vulnerabilities, high-cost structures, and the urgent push for sustainable development remind us that time is of the essence—we cannot afford to delay a collective solution that leverages SupTech for proactive, data-driven decisions.
Over the past year, AFI—together with PIRI leaders, regulators, financial service providers, and development partners—has conducted a diagnostic study to better understand the current state of RegTech and SupTech in the Pacific. We examined data-collection needs, technology readiness, and the trade-offs required for a shared SupTech platform that can bolster regulatory oversight, reduce inefficiencies, and enable meaningful policy innovation.
Our discussion this morning builds on these preliminary insights, focusing on how a regional SupTech platform could deliver benefits such as (but not limited to):
- Automated Data Collection & Validation
- Risk-Based Supervision
- API-led Reporting
- Enhanced Consumer Protection
- Targeted Insights for Gender and Youth
By moving beyond isolated solutions, we aim to harmonize data standards and foster an inclusive digital environment that benefits women, youth, MSMEs, rural communities, and all underserved segments.
Three-Day Roadmap
Over the course of the next 3 days, starting with today, we will engage in a regional workshop to share the blueprint and roadmap for a potential SupTech solution, validate our findings from diagnostics and refine our approach based on your valuable perspectives.
Our technical training sessions will deepen regulators’ knowledge of SupTech and RegTech foundations, showcase practical case studies—like the Bank of Ghana’s ORASS and Mozambique’s Bank Supervision Application—and explore how to balance cost, compliance, and consumer protection in small island contexts.
By the end of these sessions, we will establish a clear and actionable plan for the implementation of a shared SupTech platform across PIRI, ensuring that each member institution can integrate effectively while respecting national policy priorities.
Looking Ahead
Beyond this workshop, we envision a future dedicated to capacity building, upskilling, technical readiness and deployment, with ongoing support from AFI, our funding partners, and our broader network. We hope to support in this period, as much as feasible, the roll out a “minimum viable SupTech solution” for all PIRI members, expanding real-time data collection capabilities, automated reporting and data-driven policy making for greater financial inclusion outcomes.
We hope that the actions taking from today’s conversations and dialogue will contribute to delivering tangible in-country implementation technical support, aligned with regional commitments, and reinforces the Pacific’s role as a global leader in inclusive and responsible use of innovation.
Call for Collaboration
This gathering reflects our collective commitment to enhancing supervisory efficiency, advancing financial inclusion, and tackling ongoing challenges such as climate risks and high service costs. We invite all participants—regulators, financial institutions, financial service providers and development partners—to approach today’s workshop with an open mind and a spirit of co-creation. Your valuable insights, questions, and feedback will be instrumental in shaping the final blueprint and roadmap.
Conclusion
Together, we can seize this moment to transform supervisory technology in the Pacific from piecemeal experiments into a unified digital infrastructure—one that promotes stability, champions gender and youth inclusion, and supports economic growth amid the unique challenges facing small island developing states.
I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our gracious hosts, the Central Bank of Samoa, for their exceptional hospitality, leadership, and dedication in making this event a reality. Their unwavering commitment to financial inclusion, regulatory innovation, and regional collaboration has set a strong foundation for meaningful discussions and impactful outcomes.
I also wish to acknowledge the regulators, industry stakeholders, and partners who have played a pivotal role in supporting this workshop. Your collective efforts ensure that we continue to drive progress and strengthen the financial ecosystem across the Pacific. Let us learn, share, and strategize so that, when we look back, we can say this workshop was the springboard that propelled the Pacific into a new era of inclusive, tech-driven supervision.
Fa’afetai tele lava and let’s make this workshop both fruitful and impactful for our entire region!