UNSGSA Queen Máxima, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva Hold Virtual Bilateral Meeting on Financial Inclusion

UNSGSA Queen Máxima and IMF Managing Kristalina Georgieva are pictured on a virtual meeting on 19 January 2021.

H.M. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands conducted a virtual bilateral meeting with Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on 19 January 2021, to discuss various financial inclusion issues, particularly in the context of COVID-19. She participated in her capacity as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA).

The meeting touched upon the IMF’s work on fintech, women’s financial inclusion, and emerging issues around digital financial services such as algorithm biases and cybersecurity.

The UNSGSA and Managing Director Georgieva last met during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2020. At that time, the Managing Director spoke about the increased focus at the IMF on financial inclusion. Additionally, the Fund later released a July 2020 report “The Promise of Fintech: Financial Inclusion in the Post COVID-19 Era”.

IMF is a member of the UNSGSA’s advisory Reference Group of leading international organizations in financial inclusion, which share expertise and suggest strategic opportunities that the Special Advocate can advance through advocacy and partnerships.