On 4 June 2026, the member institutions of AFI’s Pacific Islands Regional Initiative (PIRI) published the Santo Statement on Financial Capability in the Pacific, signalling their commitment to advancing more resilient, inclusive, and people-centred financial ecosystems.

The Santo Statement was launched by the Governors of the central banks of Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea, during PIRI’s meeting in Vanuatu. Serving as a framework to inform policies, partnerships, and initiatives to strengthen financial resilience and inclusion across the region, it sets out a series of commitments to reframe financial education, drive behavior change, leverage digital innovation, and strengthen measurement and accountability.

“Through greater collaboration and coordinated action across the Pacific, the Santo Statement will help strengthen consumer awareness, digital financial capability, informed financial decision-making, and confidence in financial services, while supporting more inclusive and resilient economic participation for Pacific people,” said August Letlet, Governor of the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu.

“As financial services become increasingly digital, our focus must extend beyond financial access and translate into sound financial decisions,” said Tatafu Moeaki, Governor of the National Reserve Bank of Tonga, and PIRI Chair. “Financial capability is the next step in our regional financial inclusion journey – building knowledge, confidence, skills and trust in financial products.”

“Advancing financial capability is fundamental to building and sustaining trust in financial systems,” said Dr. Eliki Boletawa, AFI Director of Policy Programs and Implementation. “That means trusting that innovation works for people and not against them, and that institutions are acting in the best interests of communities and consumers.”

To advance financial capability, the Statement calls for coordinated action among regulators, governments, financial service providers, educators, civil society, development partners, community actors, and the broader digital ecosystem. It highlights that financial capability initiatives must be complemented by strong consumer protection, market conduct, and responsible digital finance frameworks, to ensure that financial systems are safe, trusted, inclusive, accessible, and responsive.

See the full Santo Statement here.