Port Vila, Vanuatu – 2 July 2025 – Vanuatu has officially launched the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) 2025–2030, marking a major milestone in the country’s commitment to strengthening inclusive finance and building a more resilient and sustainable financial future for all Ni-Vanuatu.
The new Strategy builds on the achievements of the first NFIS (2018–2023) and incorporates insights from the 2024 Second Demand Side Survey, including using Digital Financial Services (DFS) as a tool to achieve the targets of NFIS (2025-30).
It presents a comprehensive roadmap for expanding access to formal financial services, strengthening financial capability, and enabling economic participation across the country, particularly for women, youth, rural populations, and other underserved groups.
At the heart of the Strategy is a national vision for a financial system that is accessible, responsive, and capable of supporting individuals, households, and MSMEs thrive and prospoer.
By 2030, NFIS aims to achieve 60 percent financial inclusion among the adult population, accelerate the adoption of affordable and accessible digital financial services, raise financial and digital literacy, and strengthen the availability of climate-resilient and MSME-focused financial products.
These efforts are designed to empower Ni-Vanuatu to make informed financial decisions, build resilience to economic and climate shocks, plan for the future, manage their money effectively and contribute meaningfully to the country’s sustainable development.
The development of NFIS also implements the Pacific Regional E-commerce Strategy and Roadmap through Measure 5.1.6, which calls for a region-wide advocacy campaign on the advantages of digital payment solutions and their role in boosting e-commerce adoption and digital financial inclusion, including banking the unbanked.
While the development of NFIS is an initiative supported by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) through the Pacific Digital Economy Programme (PDEP) and Pacific Insurance and Climate Adaptation Programme (PICAP), it involves active participation from mobile network operators, education authorities, civil society, and community leaders in Vanuatu.
PICAP is implemented by UNCDF, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations University- Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and has received strong support from the Governments of New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.
PDEP is implemented by UNCDF, UNDP and UN Tade and Development and has received generous support from Australia, the European Union, and New Zealand, and strengthened through technical expertise provided by FinValue Advisers.
