Amman, April 7 (Petra) – The activities of the “Financial Inclusion – Opportunities and Challenges” forum, organized by the Jordan Center for Development in cooperation with the ABJ, concluded today, Wednesday, with the participation of representatives from several Jordanian banks and economic and financial institutions.

A press statement by the center today highlighted that the two-day forum discussed many working papers presented by a group of Jordanian experts which tackled various aspects of financial inclusion the national strategy for financial inclusion, and the policies and efforts made by the Central Bank of Jordan to enhance financial inclusion and provide financial and banking services to the largest possible number of societal groups especially those most in need such as women and youth.

Furthermore, the participants discussed, via the audio-visual communication technology (Zoom), the achievements that Jordan has achieved in this field, the Corona pandemic effects on the expansion of financial inclusion, the provision of digital banking services, aspects of electronic payment in the era of financial technology, crowdfunding in addition to the necessary community structure for digital banking services.

The Director-General of ABJ, Dr. Maher Al-Mahrouq, said that financial inclusion has become one of the main topics on the table of local and international financial meetings.

He added that financial inclusion is a key entry point in building comprehensive and sustainable development strategies for its great role in facing the challenges of poverty and unemployment, increasing productivity and improving financial and social stability.

Former Finance Minister Dr. Muhammad Abu Hammour said that although Jordan has made many progress in the field of financial inclusion, we still have a lot to do to deliver financial services to all segments of society stressing the importance of targeting women and youth when developing national policies to promote financial inclusion.