Queen Máxima of the Netherlands has completed a visit to India in her role as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.
The Dutch Queen’s visit comes as India is poised to assume leadership of the G20 in December, following the end of Bangladesh’s term. The Royal House of the Netherlands billed her visit as a way to “discuss the digital financial services agenda for poverty reduction and economic development.”
Queen Máxima’s visit began on Monday in New Delhi, where she met with government and financial officials, including the Reserve Bank of India Governor, the G20 Sherpa who is helping arrange this year’s summit, and the Minister of Finance to talk about ways to shape the conversation at the G20 Summit later this year with a focus on financial inclusion and stimulating the digital economy.
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According to the Royal House, Queen Máxima also met with private and public sector leaders to discuss the development of infrastructure to support the digital economy, which includes telecom connections, secured payment gateways, and methods of storing data to protect customers’ privacy.
India has launched its own digital financial programme called #IndiaStack, and according to a post on the Dutch Royal House’s Instagram: “A bank or savings account, insurance, loans, pensions and digital payments help people lift out of poverty and build a better life. With the #Indiastack, a digital infrastructure, India connects the population to secure and affordable digital financial services.”
It also allows Indian citizens to find applications for “financial, economic and social inclusion,” according to the royal website.
The Dutch Queen is also the Honorary President of the G20 Global Partnership for Inclusive Financing, which works as a forum for members and non-members to work on solutions and ideas for financial inclusion.
Queen Máxima has held this position since 2011, with her chief goal to “advocate for financial inclusion” and promote the Global Partnership for Inclusive Financing’s work internationally. The Dutch Queen has held the position of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development since 2009.
