On 11 September 2025, the Reserve Bank of Fiji launched the Gender Inclusive Finance Report—a milestone in Fiji’s journey toward a more inclusive and equitable financial system. The study assesses supply-side, regulatory, and structural barriers that limit women’s access to and participation in formal financial services, and outlines practical opportunities for reform.

Developed through a strategic collaboration between the Fletcher Leadership Program for Financial Inclusion (FLPFI) at Tufts University, USA, and the Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI), the study draws on insights from a survey of 18 financial institutions, service providers, accelerators, and government agencies. It sheds light on persistent gaps in women’s financial inclusion, including under-representation in financial services, limited awareness, insufficient data on women-owned businesses, and regulatory and infrastructural constraints.

Despite these challenges, the report highlights encouraging progress. Female account ownership rose from 52% in 2014 to 82% in 2022, narrowing the gender gap from 16% to 10%. Among female youths, account ownership increased from 59% to 65%, reducing the gender gap from 12% to 7% over the same period. Additionally, 30.2% of MSMEs are women-owned, with a further 13.2% jointly owned by women and men. While the gap in savings accounts has narrowed significantly, loan accounts for women remain nearly half those of men—signalling the need for targeted interventions.

The study was primarily led and authored by Caterina Meloni, with guidance from the Reserve Bank of Fiji and PSDI. Contributions were provided by local consultants Duri Buadromo and Lanieta Rauqeuqe, and the RBF team: Caroline Waqabaca (Chief Manager, Financial System Development), Wati Seeto (Manager, Financial Inclusion & Market Conduct), Swastika Singh (Former Senior Analyst), Latu Kaukilakeba (Senior Analyst), and Ruci Mateitoga (Analyst).

The Gender Finance report is available here.