Dutch Queen Máxima, on seeing first-hand Bangladesh’s efforts in the financial inclusion of all poor and rural people, has said many countries can follow some of those activities.
The queen is visiting Bangladesh in her capacity as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.
On Tuesday she visited several locations in Gazipur, outside Dhaka, to explore the experiences and needs of low-income customers such as garment workers who are paid digitally.
“Currently, Bangladesh is working for ensuring financial inclusion of all through digital mobile finance with a nascent energy,” she said after visiting an A2I digital center at Rajbari union.
During her Gazipur tour, Queen Máxima also visited a Viyellatex Group garment factory, talked with the beneficiaries of the ‘One Farm One House’ project and met with a female entrepreneur who had built her business with the help of financial services.
“We can learn from other countries. But A2I is a very good example that can be followed by other countries,” she said.
She also observed that there is still much room for growth.
“We need to make it (bringing people under financial services) possible for everybody in Bangladesh. Through ensuring insurance, loans and more savings facilities for them, we can give poor people a better and easier life,” she said.
The visit is part of her global effort to raise awareness and foster action for everyone’s financial inclusion. She was appointed to this UN position in 2009.
As special advocate, the queen campaigns for advancing the financial inclusion agenda, focusing in particular on financially excluded people and small businesses.
She has also been the honorary patron of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion since 2011.
The UN says the queen is focusing on “various priorities” including the strengthening of the microfinance sector in Bangladesh, and advancing mobile financial services for financially excluded populations and SMEs during her Bangladesh visit.