Aiming to leave no one behind: Costa Rica’s National Financial Inclusion Strategy takes shape

Costa Rica’s National Financial Inclusion Strategy aims to expand access and usage of financial services to all parts of the population.

“Costa Rica has made significant efforts in financial inclusion, but much remains to be done to include women and other under-represented groups,” said Rocío Aguilar, Superintendent of the General Superintendence of Financial Entities (SUGEF). “By structuring efforts through a national financial inclusion strategy, we’ll be able to reach those parts of the population that are still not using formal financial services.”

“The main groups we want to reach through the strategy include women, elderly adults, young people and micro-enterprises” explains Cristian Vega, SUGEF´s Focal Point for AFI.

“Currently, a bill is underway to establish the governance of both the financial inclusion strategy and the next financial education strategy. The next step will be to start working on the various key topics, such as microfinance, consumer protection, and financial inclusion data.”

Costa Rica’s National Financial Inclusion Strategy is being developed with support from AFI’s In-Country Implementation program and from the Government of Luxembourg. Since 2023, AFI and the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade have been working together to advance financial inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean.