From 24 to 26 February in Apia, Samoa, AFI and Central Bank of Samoa co-hosted a regional workshop and training session which explored how shared inclusive digital infrastructure can advance financial inclusion across the Pacific Islands region. 

On 24 February, a workshop explored the current RegTech/SupTech landscape, needs and gaps, adoption challenges, and opportunities for SupTech in the PIRI countries. The workshop, attended by all AFI Pacific Islands Regional Initiative (PIRI) members, featured contributions from a range of local and regional stakeholders. 

On 25 and 26 February, sessions were designed to deepen regulators’ knowledge of SupTech and RegTech foundations and to explore how to balance policy, data, compliance, and technology in small island contexts. 

“Over the past year, a diagnostic study led by AFI and our PIRI partners has shed light on the opportunities, challenges, and critical next steps needed to build a shared SupTech platform,” said Maiava Atalina Emma Ainuu-Enari, Governor of the Central Bank of Samoa. “This platform, envisioned as an inclusive digital infrastructure, holds the promise of enabling us to collect data in real time, conduct risk-based supervision, and strengthen our oversight capabilities. Today marks a pivotal milestone in moving from diagnostic findings into regional collaboration and practical implementation.” 

 “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, and safeguard vulnerable groups against exclusion,” said Dr. Eliki Boletawa, AFI’s Director of Policy Programs and Implementation. “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.” 

Experts from Bank of Ghana and Banco de Moçambique provided a demonstration of, and lessons, from Ghana’s Supervisory Intelligence Platform and Online Regulatory and Analytical Surveillance Software (ORASS) and Mozambique’s Bank Supervision Application. There were also expert interventions from Central Bank of Solomon Islands, Reserve Bank of Fiji, Central Bank of Samoa, National Reserve Bank of Tonga, Microsave, UNCDF, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, and local and regional banks and financial services providers.