Date: 06 July 2026

Media Note – National Financial Inclusion Taskforce Holds First Semi-Annual Meeting 2026

Members of the NFIT at the first semi-annual meeting.

The National Financial Inclusion Taskforce (NFIT) convened its first semi-annual meeting for 2026 discussing progress and challenges while reaffirming commitments to driving inclusive financial development across Fiji.

Established in 2010, the NFIT oversees the implementation of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) through its four Working Groups. The Taskforce brings together a broad group of stakeholders from the public and private sectors, civil society, development partners and donors to ensure that financial inclusion is meaningfully advanced as a national priority.

During the meeting, Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) Deputy Governor and NFIT Acting Chair, Mr Esala Masitabua, commended the Working Groups for the progress made through the attainment of deliverables under the current NFIS. He also emphasised the need to scale-up financial literacy for all Fijians and underscored the importance of prioritizing data collection for impact assessment and evidence-based reporting.

The four Working Groups reported on achievements of key deliverables relative to their short-term and medium-term targets under the current NFIS. The key achievements included the following:

• Progressed capacity building on Fiji’s Green Finance Taxonomy, and developed draft implementation guidelines;
• Completion of the 2025 Demand Side Survey and preparation for launch and dissemination of the report;
• Finalised the draft National FinTech Strategy for stakeholder consultation and validation;
• Enhanced MSME information repository and database through the adoption of the MSME baseline indicators, and national definition for women-owned and women-led MSMEs;
• Completed the vendor selection for Fiji’s first Peer-to-Peer Lending (P2PL) Platform and progressed work towards its deployment through the RBF Regulatory Sandbox supported by the Fiji Innovation Hub;
• Issued policy guideline on Complaints handling for Payment Service Providers (PSPs);
• Launch of the Fiji Innovation Hub and implementation of foundational activities including capability building workshops, an inaugural hackathon, activator programme and the set-up of a dedicated workspace at the RBF

Looking ahead, the NFIT reaffirmed its commitment to advancing financial inclusion as a cornerstone for protecting the welfare of the most disadvantaged segments of society, and a driver of shared prosperity and resilience for all Fijians. To this end, the Taskforce will continue to foster collaboration and innovation and continue the task of empowering our people with equitable access to financial services and the capability to utilize them effectively.

NFIT Membership:

• Mr Ariff Ali, Governor – Reserve Bank of Fiji
• Mr Shiri Gounder, Permanent Secretary – Ministry of Finance,
• Dr Radika Kumar, Permanent Secretary – Ministry of Commerce and Business Development
• Ms Fantasha Lockington, Chief Executive Officer – Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association
• Mr Shane Smith, Chairperson – Association of Banks in Fiji
• Ms Elenoa Biukoto, Chief Executive Officer – Vodafone Fiji
• Mr Farid Mohammed, Chief Executive Officer – Digicel Fiji
• Ms Sainimili Tawake, Chief Executive Officer – Pacific Disability Forum
• Ms Georgina Naigulevu, Director of Inclusion, Justice and Transformation – Tetra Tech International Development
• Mr Krishnan Narasimhan, Programme Manager – UNCDF-PICAP
• Ms Duri Buadromo – Independent Consultant

Working Group Chairpersons:

• Inclusive Finance Working Group – Ms Tupou Halofaki
• Digital Financial Services Working Group – Mr John Qiliho
• MSME Finance Working Group – Ms Olivia Vakaosooso
• Consumer Protection and Financial Capability Working Group – Mr Sitiveni Marovia

RESERVE BANK OF FIJI

For further details, please contact:

Mervin Singh – Manager Corporate Communications

Telephone: (679) 3223 229 Email: mervin@rbf.gov.fj