On 19 and 20 November, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) organized a workshop to shape the country’s next National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS). The event, attended by senior staff from different CBSL departments as well as from financial institutions, sought to build a shared understanding of the financial inclusion landscape, identify lessons from the (2021-2024) NFIS, and strengthen internal capacities to design the NFIS 2.0.

Participants discussed constraints and enablers relating to Digital Finance, MSMEs, Financial Literacy, and Consumer Protection, as well as opportunities to embed Inclusive Green Finance (IGF) in the next NFIS, in view of Sri Lanka’s climate vulnerabilities.

Day Two was dedicated to capacity building for the design and implementation of NFIS 2.0, with sessions on designing vision statements, strategic frameworks, action plans, and monitoring and evaluation systems.

Mr. Chatura Ariyadasa, CBSL Director of Regional Development, pledged “to accelerate financial inclusion across Sri Lanka with robust consumer protection mechanisms, while building resilience and safeguarding the interests of women, MSMEs, and youth.” He said the NFIS 2.0 would “facilitate greater collaboration and convergence among implementing agencies, to meet the national agenda of inclusive economic growth.”

The workshop was facilitated by FinValue Advisors, India, in collaboration with AFI.