Central Bank of Nepal concludes SARFII Leaders Roundtable, prioritising a five-year financial inclusion framework and approving the 2025 work plan

The Central Bank of Nepal reported that the 6th Leaders Roundtable of the South Asia Region Financial Inclusion Initiative (SARFII) concluded in Kathmandu under Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari. The meeting prioritised preparing a regional framework for the next five years focused on sustainable, inclusive and innovative financial services through stronger regional cooperation and coordination, and it approved SARFII’s annual work plan for 2025. Regional central bank and finance ministry representatives participated, including senior officials from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives and Pakistan. Members shared country updates on financial inclusion and discussed proposed amendments to the SARFII Charter and to the Terms of Reference of the Expert Group on Financial Inclusion Policy (EGFIP). Adhikari highlighted Nepal’s progress in financial access and digital payments and called for emphasis on digitalisation of financial services, consumer protection, digital financial literacy and expanding financial services for small and medium-sized enterprises; SARFII’s pre-roundtable meetings also included sessions of EGFIP and the Payment Expert Group, alongside an Alliance for Financial Inclusion and Central Bank of Nepal training on cyber resilience in digital payments attended by 31 regional participants.