On 11 December, AFI Executive Director, Alfred Hannig and Fiji Reserve Bank Governor Ariff Ali, met to discuss the country’s growing financial inclusion ambitions. The two leaders evaluated Fiji’s current financial inclusion status, and discussed deeper collaboration on its future objectives.  

Fiji has made great progress in financial inclusion since joining AFI in 2009. Its second National Financial Inclusion Strategy, launched last year, aims to bring 90 percent of the country’s adult population onto the financial services grid by 2030, with an emphasis on women, youth, people living with disabilities, and small to medium businesses.  

“The Reserve Bank of Fiji and Governor Ali’s unwavering commitment to the financial inclusion agenda is evident,” said Dr. Hannig. “The country has made great progress, notably in digital financial services. What has emerged today is the critical importance of data to inform policy. AFI stands ready to support efforts to increase access to quality data.” 

In discussing Fiji’s journey, Governor Ali acknowledged the strong collaboration and partnerships with stakeholders and development partners that have helped the country to reach its milestones. “The Bank remains committed to driving efforts and leveraging opportunities to improve financial inclusion in Fiji and in the Pacific region,” he said. 

Dr Hannig’s trip coincided with an AFI Board meeting, chaired by Governor Ali, who was sworn in as Chair of the AFI Board during this year’s 2023 Global Policy Forum. The Reserve Bank of Fiji also chairs AFI’s Pacific Islands Regional Initiative (PIRI), which works to boost and coordinate financial inclusion efforts in the region.   

Dr Hannig thanked Governor Ali for agreeing to host AFI’s upcoming Consumer Empowerment & Market Conduct (CEMC) and Inclusive Green Finance (IGF) working group meetings in March 2024, as well as the PIRI leaders’ roundtable in June 2024.