Each year, the AFI Awards recognize member institutions and policymakers striving to advance inclusive finance globally. This year’s winners and finalists were celebrated during a special ceremony at AFI’s annual Global Policy Forum in Swakopmund, Namibia:

Nestor Espenilla Jr. Financial Inclusion Innovation Award

Winner: Bank of Tanzania

Finalists:

• Nepal Rastra Bank
• Bank of Ghana
• Banco Central del Paraguay
• Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador

Global Youth Financial Inclusion Award

Winner: State Bank of Pakistan

Finalists:

• Banque de la République d’Haïti
• Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador
• Bank Negara Malaysia
• National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia

Maya Declaration Commitment Award

Winner: Bangladesh Bank

Finalists:

• Palestine Monetary Authority
• Bank of Uganda
• Central Bank of Sri Lanka
• Central Bank of Egypt

Institutional Leadership Award

Winner: Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador

Finalists:

• Central Bank of Egypt
• State Bank of Pakistan
• Comisión Nacional de Bancos y Seguros de Honduras
• Banco de Moçambique

Technical Leadership Awards

Consumer Empowerment & Market Conduct

Winner: Natalia Sanchez, Superintendencia de Bancos de la República Dominicana

Finalists:

• Ligia Marcela Herrera, Comisión Nacional de Bancos y Seguros de Honduras
• César Ricardo Umanzor Zavala, Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador

Digital Financial Services

Winner: Linda Dlamini-Khumalo, Central Bank of Eswatini

Finalists:

• Ines Paez, Superintendencia de Bancos de la República Dominicana
• Josephat Nyasha Mutepfa, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
• Eserani Munivai, Reserve Bank of Fiji

Financial Inclusion Data and Impact

Winner: Maria Katepa, Bank of Zambia

Finalists:

• Sesilia Nekwaya, Bank of Namibia
• Chahrazade El Alaoui, Bank Al-Maghrib

Financial Inclusion Strategy

Winner: Aishath Asna Hamdi, Maldives Monetary Authority

Finalists:

• Khaled Bassiouny, Central Bank of Egypt
• Nangi Massawe, Bank of Tanzania

Global Standards Proportionality

Winner: Roberto Benjamin Iglesias Gonzalez, Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador

Finalists:

• Mariama Sillah, Central Bank of The Gambia
• Clarence Blay, Bank of Ghana

Inclusive Green Finance

Winner: Chowdhuri Liakat Ali, Bangladesh Bank

Finalists:

• Rhodora Brazil-De Vera, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
• Walid Ali, Central Bank of Egypt

SME Finance

Winner: Shereen Farouk Dahab, Central Bank of Egypt

Finalists:

• Ibrahim Shaugee, Maldives Monetary Authority
• Xiomy Ramirez, Superintendencia de Bancos de la República Dominicana

Congratulations to all our winners and finalists for leading the way to a more financially inclusive future for all!