Hassan Abdalla, Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), met with Alfred Hannig, Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), on 7 April, in the presence of several CBE officials.
During the meeting, Governor Abdalla expressed his appreciation for the productive collaboration between the CBE and AFI, highlighting the value of learning from international best practices in financial inclusion. He also emphasized the importance of exchanging scientific expertise with central banks and relevant regulatory authorities in AFI’s member states.
Abdalla took the opportunity to showcase the significant strides made by the CBE in partnership with the banking sector and various ministries. These efforts align with Egypt’s vision for economic empowerment, particularly focusing on marginalized groups, including women, youth, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). He noted that these achievements are built on a supportive legislative and regulatory framework, as well as the launch of incentive-driven initiatives. As a result, Egypt’s financial inclusion rate reached 74.8% in 2024.
In response, Alfred Hannig praised Egypt’s leadership in financial inclusion and sustainable finance, recognizing the country’s advancements as a model for others to follow. He highlighted that AFI is working closely with the CBE to share Egypt’s expertise with other countries through peer-to-peer knowledge exchange programs.
The CBE became a member of AFI in 2013, following the organization’s founding in 2009. AFI currently includes over 90 financial institutions, central banks, and regulatory bodies from 83 countries. The Alliance works to develop tools that promote financial inclusion, facilitates the exchange of technical expertise, and supports members in designing and implementing economic policies and reform strategies.
