On this occasion, the Queen visited the old medina of Rabat on Tuesday to meet with merchants benefiting from microcredit to further promote financial inclusion and the use of payment instruments.
In a statement to the press, Zorreguieta stressed that merchants are an important part of financial inclusion, adding that during her visit to the medina, she exchanged with a merchant about the financial product he uses, the challenges as well as the opportunities to be seized.
“The future lies in e-commerce and mobile banking,” the Queen said.
On the first day of her visit, the Queen also met with the general manager of a digital grocery store to market its products, in addition to a meeting with a group of fintech companies.
The purpose of the visit is to encourage further progress in the progress Morocco has made in recent years in the area of financial inclusion.
During the meetings and discussions, the Special Envoy will highlight the critical investments that will help kick-start the digital payments market in Morocco, including serving as a gateway to the formal financial sector for traditionally underserved groups such as women and small business owners.
She will also discuss how to further develop the fintech sector in Morocco, including promoting technologies that can help address the risks, costs, and geographic barriers to financial services in Morocco.
Queen Máxima will also focus on inclusive green finance, particularly the role of financial services in building resilience and adaptation to climate risks.
Morocco is considered a leader in sustainable finance, having published a roadmap to align the Moroccan financial sector with sustainable development.
During the visit, the Queen will meet with Moroccan officials and key leaders from the public and private sectors to discuss opportunities to promote and collaborate on inclusive finance in Morocco.
This is Queen Máxima’s first visit to Morocco as Special Envoy.
The UNSGSA Reference Group partners supporting the technical work for this visit are the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), the Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP), and the World Bank Group.
