Abu dhabi: Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the CBUAE, inaugurated the Middle East and North Africa Leaders' Summit on Financial Inclusion. The event is hosted by CBUAE over two days in Abu Dhabi, in partnership with the Arab Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
According to Emirates News Agency, the summit is held for the first time in the UAE and attended by prominent figures including AbdulAziz Abdullah Al Ghurair, Chairman of the UAE Banks Federation; Abdulrahman Al Saleh, Vice Chairman of the CBUAE Board of Directors; Younis Haji Al Khoori, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Finance; and Ali Mohammed Bakheet Al Rumaithi, a member of the CBUAE Board of Directors. Other attendees include Assistant Governors, senior officials from central banks and financial regulatory and supervisory authorities in the MENA region, and senior representatives from governmental entities, international and regional organizations, and financial institutions.
The summit, themed 'Shaping Regional and Global Agendas,' addressed strategic issues that contribute to developing comprehensive, responsible, and sustainable financial ecosystems. Key topics included digital innovation, consumer protection, gender equity, and financial well-being. Khaled Mohamed Balama, in his opening remarks, affirmed the UAE's commitment to promoting financial inclusion as a cornerstone for sustainable development and a pillar of financial resilience. He highlighted the UAE's position as a global model of economic and financial innovation and inclusive development, aligned with UAE Vision 2031 and the UAE Centennial 2071.
The first day of the summit witnessed the launch of national and international initiatives to support financial inclusion, most notably the UAE National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) 2026-2030, unveiled by the Governor. This strategy, developed by the CBUAE in partnership with the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF), with contributions from more than 70 national stakeholders, offers a comprehensive national framework aimed at enabling fair and secure access to financial services for all members of society.
The NFIS is designed to be inclusive of all segments of society, focusing on key national priorities such as strengthening the legislative framework supporting financial inclusion, accelerating the digital transformation of the financial sector, fostering financial literacy and well-being, and enabling data and artificial intelligence use to support innovation and strategic decision-making.
Fatma Al Jabri, Assistant Governor for Financial Crimes, Market Conduct and Consumer Protection at CBUAE, affirmed that the NFIS aims to achieve strategic objectives by 2030, including increasing the percentage of individuals who own financial accounts and expanding the use of digital payment technologies. The strategy comprises 12 pioneering initiatives to broaden financial inclusion across all segments of society, providing universal financial accounts to residents, developing innovative products targeting women, youth, and people of determination, and empowering entrepreneurs and MSMEs to access financial services.
The NFIS also adopts a national financial literacy plan, aiming to establish the UAE as a global hub for financial health. Furthermore, the strategy emphasizes robust governance and data-driven decision-making to ensure a lasting and measurable impact and to maximize the utilization of financial resources and opportunities at both national and international levels.
The summit included keynote addresses from officials of the World Bank and the Arab Monetary Fund, as well as panel discussions on expanding access to financial services. The results of the regional financial inclusion index, "Findex," were announced for the Arab region. Additionally, sessions were held on the foundations of financial health and the announcement that the UAE will host the Global Money Week in 2026, addressing women's financial health, economic empowerment, and the promotion of financial literacy.