Queen Máxima: “Financial literacy and inclusion issue not limited to developing countries”

While attending events surrounding the 74th UN General Assembly, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands has also been at events regarding her role as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA).

Yesterday, she spoke to Bloomberg television about financial inclusion, stressing that the financial literacy and inclusion issue going on is not limited to just developing countries.

Financial literacy and inclusion is not an issue limited to only developing countries, explains Queen Maxima of the Netherlands ▶️https://t.co/hq2ia8Edfd pic.twitter.com/rVYZniOXuX

— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) September 25, 2019

She was asked about what she was trying to accomplish in her role as UNSGSA, and she answered, “We have tried to accomplish in the last ten years is basically is to make financial inclusion possible for people, poor people, who didn’t have access to financial services until now.

“So we’ve been working with countries from India, Pakistan, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina [the Queen’s home country] to actually make this issue a very important issue and to also talk to global partners to see what is actually hampering the access to financial services.”

Queen Máxima even spoke about the millions of Americans who don’t have bank accounts and access to financial services. Additionally, she recognised that some in the US have bank accounts, but they have to go to lenders to make ends meet.

“It’s not only an issue for just developing countries,” she said, “Even in my county, The Netherlands, people have less access to funds to start a firm.”

The Queen revealed that 1.2 billion people now have access to financial services across the globe over the past eight years. She has served as the UNSGSA for the past ten years and celebrated the anniversary this week at the UN.

Queen Máxima has been the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA) since September 2009. She was promoted to the role by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. She travels extensively across the globe in her role to discuss financial inclusion problems and opportunities, especially in the developing world.