This report provides an overview of the status of the financial sector with regard to serving low income and rural populations, consequently offering an informational platform to policymakers and practitioners working in the area. It is by no meanscomprehensive, and lacks demand data, but it is a solid departure point from which to formulate policies and priorities for a morecoordinated approach to financial inclusion.

The Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme (PFIP) has supported regulatory agencies in Fiji and Solomon Islands to formulate national action plans for financial inclusion.

This report aims not only measure the status of financial inclusion in the country, but also suggests promising opportunities to pursue. How this report will be used to create a national action plan for Vanuatu will depend on the local stakeholders involved. In both Fiji3 and Solomon Islands4 similar assessment reports were used as departure points at national conferences where a diversity of national stakeholders discussed findings and opportunities, and agreed on priority areas for action. Similarly in both cases the regulatory agency involved formed a task force of key stakeholders to monitor implementation of the action plan. It is highly recommended that a similar process be followed in Vanuatu.

To download the report: https://www.pfip.org/publications/research/