Message from the Chair

Dr. Jesús De La Fuente Rodríguez

President, Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores (CNBV) Mexico, Chair, AFI’s Board of Directors

On behalf of AFI’s Board of Directors, it is my pleasure and honor to present AFI’s 2021 Annual Report. The world continued to grapple with uncertainty and adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last year. The vibrancy and resilience of the AFI network during such times is a testament to the critical importance of financial inclusion for the stability and integrity of the financial sector and inclusive economies. The members remained highly engaged across all AFI activities, benefitting from peer-to-peer engagement as well as country-specific support, as they strived to respond effectively and smartly to protect the gains towards financial inclusion made over the past decades.

This year, we ushered in a new Board of Directors for the term September 2021 to September 2023 at the virtually held Annual General Meeting, convened in September 2021. I look forward to working closely with our newly elected Vice-Chair of the Board, Governor Ariff Ali of the Reserve Bank of Fiji and our new Board members from the National Bank of Cambodia, Banque Centrale de la République de Guinée (BCRG) and Central Bank of Tunisia to guide and steer the network in achieving our collective mission and further strengthening the AFI community.

Looking ahead, there are important opportunities that can be harnessed to accelerate the global policy agenda on financial inclusion, with AFI playing a leadership role. Work is already underway to understand how AFI’s position as a global policy leadership alliance can be further augmented through the potential transition to Intergovernmental Organization (IGO) status. The IGO status could help to ensure long-term ownership of AFI by our members’ countries. We remain mindful that this transition would need to be attained while maintaining the current institutional membership model, the principles underpinning AFI’s DNA, and the peer cooperation model, which have proven instrumental in AFI’s success. The Board and I look forward to guiding the Management Unit, together with the newly formed IGO Special Committee, towards achieving this significant milestone.

I wish to express my gratitude to the Management Unit of AFI for their unwavering dedication towards supporting AFI members to achieve their Maya Declaration commitments. AFI continued to deliver high-quality services in an agile and demand-driven manner despite the challenging operating environment this year. The results of this dedication are evident in the high member satisfaction levels seen in 2021. I commend AFI’s Executive Team, led by Executive Director, Dr. Alfred Hannig for its exemplary leadership, foresight, and readiness to adapt to new challenges and to harness emerging opportunities.

To my colleagues on the Board of Directors and Board Committees, I thank you for your passion and dedication to the network and encourage us all to continue working closely with the membership in advancing guidance and implementation of financial inclusion policies and elevating our network’s global voice. I am confident that together we can drive meaningful policy change through upholding AFI’s mission and empowering our members to accelerate financial inclusion for all.