The Pacific Islands Regional Initiative (PIRI) was created in 2014 at the AFI Global Policy Forum (GPF) in Maputo, Mozambique, and was officially launched in Dili, Timor Leste in 2015.

Previously known as the Pacific Islands Financial Inclusion Working Group (PIWG), this regional initiative was formed in 2009 at the request of the central banks of Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Tonga. Financial inclusion is a key driver to lifting the standards of living of the people within PIRI, in particular, those who are underserved and financially excluded.