Pacific Central Bankers and Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) to Advance Financial Inclusion in Tonga, 3-6 June 2025
Six Pacific region central banks are meeting in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, this week, to explore how financial inclusion can strengthen economic resilience and social equity across the region.
Tonga’s Prime Minister and Minister for Finance also Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, Hon. ‘Aisake Eke, opened the Pacific Central Bankers’ Meeting in Nuku’alofa today Tuesday 3 June 2025 at Fa’onelua Convention Centre.
The meeting, co-hosted by the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), is being attended by over 70 participants and brings together Governors from the Central Banks of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and Tonga with Special Guest Speakers and accompanying officials, including representatives from the central banks of Seychelles and Kenya. Governor Ariff Ali of the Reserve Bank of Fiji is the incumbent Chair and will hand-over the chairperson role to Governor Tatafu Moeaki of the National Reserve Bank of Tonga.
The high-level gathering will focus on accelerating the Pacific’s financial inclusion agenda, with an emphasis on digital innovation, resilience, and access to financial services. Discussions will cover cross-sector collaboration, robust data governance, and the development of digital public infrastructure.
Prime Minister Eke stated, “We welcome AFI’s partnership to support our national financial inclusion efforts in the Pacific, as Pacific Economic Ministers emphasized the role of digital innovation in expanding access to financial services under the Money Pacific Goals 2025.
This was reinforced in 2024 with FEMM’s approval of the Regional Priority Actions focusing on financial resilience and access."
The meeting coincides with the launch of Tonga’s Fintech Regulatory Sandbox Framework, which will allow businesses to test new and innovative products under regulatory supervision. “A key highlight of the meeting will be the launch of Tonga’s Fintech Regulatory Sandbox, a significant step in enabling safe testing of innovative digital financial solutions tailored to the Pacific context that can enhance inclusion, resilience, and access across the region” said Tonga’s Reserve Bank Governor Moeaki.
On 6th June, PIRI central bank governors will endorse the Nuku’alofa Pledge, a shared commitment to achieving financial systems that are inclusive, climate-resilient, and economically
empowering.
“This year’s PIRI Symposium comes at a critical time. As Pacific nations face ongoing economic and climate challenges, the rapid digital transformation of financial services presents both risks and opportunities. Our collective response through policy, regulation, and collaboration will shape whether this shift drives inclusion—or deepens exclusion,” said Dr. Eliki Boletawa, Director of Policy Programs and Implementation, AFI.
This meeting will also inform outcomes for the South Pacific Governors’ Annual Meeting and contribute to preparations for the 2025 AFI Global Policy Forum.
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