Ladies and gentlemen, representatives of the member entities of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion, AFI staff, officials of the Superintendence of Popular and Solidarity Economy, all friends, welcome to Quito, Ecuador, in the middle of the planet; a small mega-diverse country that inspires our commitment to sustainable finance. I also welcome you to this event that we know will mark a before and after for those who visit us from South America, Central America, North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania.

As was mentioned, our country, Ecuador, effectively ranks 17th among the most megadiverse in the world, since it has, on average, 9 different species per square kilometer; it has 20% of all the bird species that exist on the globe, 1608 types; and is home to 70,000 varieties of insects. In addition, our territory is marked by 70 volcanoes, including Chimborazo, whose summit holds the record for being the furthest point from the center of the earth; all this distributed in different ecosystems that go from the wide Pacific coast, through the Andes mountains to the Amazon jungle. The above described, does not include the exceptionality of the endemic life of the Galapagos Islands with its unique fauna and flora on the planet.

In this context of infinite, amazing and overwhelming nature, I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to the Alliance for Financial Inclusion that saw in Ecuador, a place where nature is prodigal and generous, the propitious setting to work on the importance and impact of Financial Inclusion and Green Finance.

Likewise, I wish to thank the AFI for considering the Superintendence of Popular and Solidarity Economy as host and co-organizer of the working groups meetings in which an extensive agenda will be developed.  Without fear of being wrong, this event will be a milestone marked by the joint analysis and development of the issues, which will decisively influence a management that we are sure will seek not only the future well-being of the generations that follow us, but will also deepen this lavish vision of an economy that from transformation towards sustainability looks at finance as one more ally of nature.

Again everyone is welcome! Thank you very much.