The Bahamas hosts AFI’s Financial Inclusion Initiative for Latin America and the Caribbean

Members from AFI’s Financial Inclusion Initiative for Latin America and the Caribbean (FILAC) are in The Bahamas, exploring opportunities to advance financial inclusion during five days of meetings co-hosted with the Central Bank of the Bahamas (CBB). 

Opening the event, FILAC Chair and CBB Governor, John A. Rolle, said that “since the Central Bank of the Bahamas joined AFI six years ago, a time when we were increasing our strategic focus on financial inclusion policies, we have benefited from a global network of countries and institutions with very mature approaches to dealing with financial inclusion matters. In FILAC we welcome efforts to work on mutually beneficial projects, that deepen knowledge exchange, and allow us to engage more effectively with our respective domestic stakeholders.” 

AFI members from Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Suriname and The Bahamas are attending the sessions, which began on 17 and 18 June with a meeting of FILAC’s Expert Group on Financial Inclusion Policy, who identified topics and projects to be incorporated into FILAC’s Strategic Workplan, as well as opportunities for regional collaboration. 

“This week, we will explore opportunities to advance progress on a range of issues, including women’s financial inclusion, inclusive green finance, financial education, expanding digital financial services, data collection, and financial inclusion of migrants, to develop the 2025/2026 regional strategy,” said Zaira Badillo, Head of AFI’s Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Office. “By driving financial inclusion across these areas, FILAC is contributing to developing a sustainable financial environment in the region, promoting inclusive growth and poverty reduction.” 

From 19 to 21 June, CBB and AFI will run a training session on Monitoring and Evaluation of National Financial Inclusion Strategies, helping participants to develop a suitable M&E framework for their jurisdiction. There will also be sessions on how to enhance Public – Private cooperation on complaint handling and redressing mechanisms, and a deep dive into The Bahamas’ financial inclusion journey.

About FILAC 

AFI’s Financial Inclusion Initiative for Latin America and the Caribbean is the first regional financial inclusion platform of its kind in the region. Consisting of 11 member institutions (Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, the Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic), it aims to promote inclusive growth and poverty reduction through sustainable financial inclusion policies by leveraging the collective expertise and knowledge of financial policymakers, regulators, and partners regionally and globally.