Members of the Solomon Islands’ National Financial Inclusion Taskforce held their third quarterly meeting on 16 November.

Reporting on progress since the Taskforce’s formation, Chairperson Denton Rarawa—Governor of Central Bank of Solomon Islands—stated that much has been achieved, including endorsement of the Taskforce by the Solomon Islands Cabinet. This endorsement provides the Taskforce an official mandate to work with government, donors and others to drive financial inclusion measures in the country.

Chairperson Rarawa then provided details on the country’s progress in financial literacy, citing recent efforts to incorporate financial education into the national school curriculum. The Taskforce was also briefed on ANZ Bank’s plan to introduce mobile financial services to its customers in 2012.

Central Bank of Solomon Islands is a member of the Pacific Island Working Group (PIWG). The group recently developed lessons learned on national strategies based on the CBSI and the Reserve Bank of Fiji experience. Additionally, Governor Rawara shared the CBSI experiences with the national task force at the 2011 AFI Global Policy Forum during the ‘Organizing for Financial Inclusion’ panel.