Press Release No. : 07/2026
Date : 10 March 2026
Press Release No 07 – Central Bank Reaffirms Commitment to Gender Inclusive Financial Systems for International Women’s Day
Participants during the Workshop
To mark International Women’s Day 2026, the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and key national partners hosted a Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (WE-Fi) Code workshop to reflect on and amplify support for a more gender inclusive financial system.
The workshop brought together institutions who are signatories to the WE-Fi Code which is global initiative that aims to increase financing towards women-led and women-owned micro, small, and medium enterprises (WMSMEs).
Since its inception in March 2024, the WE-Fi community in Fiji has steadily grown, bringing together banks, government ministries, development institutions and private sector partners to make meaningful, measurable change in Fiji’s financial ecosystem, and beyond it being a simply symbolic commitment.
During her opening remarks at the workshop, the representative from the ADB, Ms Pinnapa Satitpatanapan reaffirmed their commitment to advancing women’s economic empowerment in Fiji, highlighting ongoing support to strengthen access to finance for women-owned and women-led businesses. “Supporting women entrepreneurs is also a matter of justice. Across many economies, women-owned businesses continue to face barriers that limit their growth. Addressing these barriers is not simply about providing support programs, it is about building a fairer and more inclusive financial system.”
She further highlighted ADB’s partnership with the RBF and financial institutions through the We-Fi Code, noting initiatives including a USD 4 million local currency loan and We-Fi grant package to Merchant Finance in 2024, as well as continued technical assistance to improve sex disaggregated data systems, national ID and e-KYC program. These efforts aim to expand opportunities for women entrepreneurs and build a more inclusive financial ecosystem across Fiji.
In delivering his keynote address at the workshop on 9th March, the Governor of the RBF, Mr Ariff Ali, reflected on this year’s UN International Women’s Day theme, “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” noting that while progress has been made, structural inequalities continue to influence women’s social and economic realities as he called on institutions to be gender-intentional in their delivery of service.
He emphasised the critical role women play in Fiji’s economy, across entrepreneurship, agriculture, professional services, education and community leadership, while noting that the country still has significant untapped potential. “For a small island economy where every talent counts, we cannot afford to leave half our potential unused,” he added. “Empowering women is not just the right thing to do it is one of the smartest economic investments a country can make.” He emphasised the critical role of Fiji’s financial sector in driving inclusive growth and acknowledged improvements in financial inclusion, including the narrowing of the gender gap in deposit account ownership from 13.6 percent in 2020 to 10.3 percent in 2024. Governor Ali underscored, however, that more needs to be done to ensure women can fully participate in and benefit from financial services.
Participants at the workshop had the opportunity to hear how the initiative has assisted international and local signatories in progressing towards their goals. A panel discussion allowed our local signatories to share insights on how their institutions are progressing in their respective areas and what more can be done to improve women’s access to finance.
In closing, the Governor Ali urged all stakeholders to continue championing the rights and opportunities of women and girls beyond International Women’s Day. “A nation that invests in women is a nation that invests in its own prosperity,” he said, calling for renewed leadership, stronger institutions, and practical actions that ensure every woman and girl in Fiji has the opportunity and protection to thrive.
RESERVE BANK OF FIJI
For further details, please contact:
Communications Office
Telephone: (679) 3223 381 Email: info@rbf.gov.fj
Mervin Singh – Manager Corporate Communications
Telephone: (679) 3223 229 Email: mervin@rbf.gov.fj