Bank of Papua New Guinea announces Papua New Guinea will co-host the Alliance for Financial Inclusion Global Policy Forum 2026

The Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG) announced that Papua New Guinea will co-host the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) Global Policy Forum in 2026, to be held in Port Moresby. Governor Elizabeth Genia accepted the hosting offer on 5 September during the 2025 AFI Global Policy Forum, with Pacific island nations expected to participate as co-hosts, and flagged a 2026 theme focused on building resilient economies for an inclusive future. BPNG positioned the event as a platform to showcase Papua New Guinea’s financial inclusion agenda, including its 2018 Maya Declaration commitment and the work of its Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion under the third National Financial Inclusion Strategy (2023–2027). The release highlighted targets and delivery metrics including enabling more than 2 million new bank accounts, expanding access points, scaling mobile and digital banking with a focus on women and rural communities, and providing financial literacy training to more than 250,000 people including 120,000 women, alongside a longer-term aim to include at least 50% of Papua New Guineans in the formal banking network by 2030; BPNG also noted that first lending under its green refinance and guarantee facilities is on track for 2026. Attendance of around 700 delegates, including about 50 central bank governors, is expected to be similar to the 2025 forum. Separately, Governor Genia accepted a nomination to the AFI Board of Directors, representing Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands Regional Initiative grouping within AFI.