Queen Máxima to visit Indonesia to discuss access to financial services
Her Majesty Queen Máxima will visit the Republic of Indonesia from Tuesday 30 August to Thursday 1 September in her role as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development. The Indonesian government will soon be launching a national strategy for inclusive finance. Its aim is to promote access to financial services like bank and savings accounts, loans and insurance, and to improve people's economic position.
The Indonesian government wants the national strategy to boost efforts to improve access to financial services. The country consists of many thousands of islands, so access to banking facilities is difficult to organise and therefore limited. Innovative digital financial services, mobile banking and more banking agents can help improve the situation. One of the strategy's main goals is that half the adult population of Indonesia should have access to bank and savings accounts, loans and insurance by 2019.
On Tuesday afternoon 30 August Queen Máxima will address the Indonesia FinTech Conference in Jakarta. This meeting on technological innovation in financial services will be hosted by the country's Financial Services Authority (OJK), an independent banking legislation regulator. Queen Máxima will highlight the need to implement the national strategy effectively and explore how technological innovations can help achieve the goals. She will also meet with various international partners like the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund and the local UN office to discuss how inclusive financing is progressing in the country.
On Wednesday 31 August Queen Máxima will visit several shopkeepers who also operate as banking agents and have expanded their shops thanks to a special loan for small businesses. Customers can deposit, withdraw and save money and take out insurance there. Furthermore, she will visit a school project outside Jakarta, run by OJK and Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) and aimed at educating young people about the importance of saving and budget. Pupils will be able to open a savings account at a mobile bank branch at their school. The Queen will also attend round-table discussions with representatives of the Ministry of Finance, Bank Indonesia (the central bank), financial organisations, telecom companies and microfinance institutions on their role in improving access to financial services.
During her visit, Queen Máxima is scheduled to meet President Joko Widodo. When visiting the Netherlands on 22 April 2016, the president had an audience with King Willem-Alexander and held talks with Queen Máxima on inclusive financing. The Queen will also meet Bank Indonesia governor Agus Martowardojo, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and the Minister of Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution.
Queen Máxima last visited Indonesia as UN Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development from 3 to 5 April 2012.