SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you!

The Netherlands

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.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.”

Photo: Mike Bloomberg/CC/Flickr

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.

Photo: Mike Bloomberg/CC/Flickr

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.

About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. She's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites including Global News Canada, ABC News Australia, WION India and BBC World News.