Everyone around the world should have access to financial tools like savings, credit, payments, and insurance to help them create a better future.
As the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate, Queen Máxima champions global efforts to promote financial solutions that enhance the financial well-being of individuals and households worldwide.
As the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate, Queen Máxima serves as a global voice promoting financial services, products, and policies that prioritize financial health. Through focused and ongoing advocacy, she works to inspire collaboration and commitment from political leaders, regulators, international standard-setting bodies, civil society, the private sector, and—most importantly—underserved communities. Her efforts aim to build a more secure, inclusive, and resilient financial future for all.
Financial health means having the right tools to manage your money every day, handle unexpected expenses, and plan for the future. These tools include things like savings, insurance, payments, and credit. When these tools are created with people’s needs in mind, they can help build a fair and strong financial system that supports stability, security, and long-term success for everyone.
On 25 September 2024, Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands was appointed as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. This new role builds on her previous work as the Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, a position she held for 15 years.
When Queen Máxima first took on the role in 2009, less than half of adults around the world had access to basic financial services like a bank account. Many groups—especially women, small farmers, and small businesses—had little or no access to formal financial systems.
As the UNSGSA, Queen Máxima worked to make sure more people could access and use safe, affordable, and quality financial services, such as savings accounts, loans, and insurance. Over the years, she visited more than 48 countries, seeing for herself how not having access to financial tools made life harder, especially during tough times. At the same time, she saw how using good financial services helped families and small businesses earn money, handle income ups and downs, invest in opportunities, and lift themselves out of poverty.
Financial inclusion helps people meet their basic needs—like food, clean water, housing, education, and health care—and improves lives and communities.
15 Years of Progress Toward Financial Inclusion and Health
Fifteen years on, the world has seen remarkable progress in financial inclusion. Today, nearly 80% of adults globally have access to at least one financial account, according to the Global Findex 2021. In 2015, financial inclusion was recognized as a key contributor to seven of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The gap in account ownership between men and women in developing countries has narrowed from 9% to 6%, and over 60 countries have launched national strategies to improve financial inclusion.
Major financial organizations and standard-setting bodies have made financial inclusion a part of their core work, building stronger partnerships with global stakeholders. Central banks, regulators, and policymakers have adopted it as a key priority, while financial service providers are now more focused on offering inclusive and customer-friendly products.
But financial inclusion means more than just having a bank account or using financial services—it’s about improving everyday lives. With access now greatly expanded and international support stronger than ever, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate (UNSGSA) will now focus on promoting financial health.
“In a world shaped by economic uncertainty, conflict, and climate change, financial services are essential for helping people gain control over their lives and future,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “As the Special Advocate for Financial Health, Her Majesty Queen Máxima continues her vital mission to ensure that financial systems support the dreams and ambitions of people everywhere.”
Promoting Financial Health for a Stronger Future
As the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health, Queen Máxima is committed to helping people improve their financial well-being. She focuses on making sure individuals have access to the right financial tools—such as savings, credit, insurance, and payment services—so they can manage daily expenses, prepare for unexpected events, plan for the future, and feel secure in their financial lives. This overall sense of financial well-being is what she refers to as “financial health.”
The financial health approach goes beyond simply providing access. It aims to deliver solutions that truly meet people’s needs, creating a fairer and more sustainable financial system that supports long-term stability, resilience, and growth for everyone.
The importance of financial health becomes especially clear during crises like rising inflation, the COVID-19 pandemic, or natural disasters such as floods or droughts. These events reveal the struggles of those who are left out of the financial system and show how even those with access need better support to handle shocks and take advantage of new opportunities.
That’s why Queen Máxima works globally to support the development of financial services, products, and policies that put people’s needs first. These solutions must help individuals protect themselves from financial risks and allow them to build a better future—within a system that is inclusive, secure, and sustainable.
Through her ongoing efforts, Queen Máxima brings together governments, regulators, global organizations, businesses, civil society, and especially underserved communities. Her goal is to encourage strong partnerships and long-term commitment that lead to a more secure and financially healthy world for all.
There is still important work to be done to reach the 1.5 billion people around the world who remain unbanked—without access to financial services or the opportunities that come with them. Expanding financial access remains a key goal, especially for the many partners of the UNSGSA. Many of these partners have joined a global Call to Action to help reach half of the remaining unbanked population by 2030.
As countries continue to improve access and encourage the use of financial services, it’s important to also focus on financial health. This means making sure that financial systems not only include more people but also truly improve their financial well-being.
Since 2011, Queen Máxima has served as the Honorary Patron of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) on behalf of the United Nations. In this role, she continues to encourage G20 member countries to launch new efforts that promote financial inclusion, with financial health as the main goal.
“The journey ahead is full of hope and opportunity,” wrote Queen Máxima in her 2024 Annual Report. “With the knowledge we’ve gained and the strong partnerships we’ve built, I will keep advocating for policies and actions that place financial health at the heart of our economic plans. The mission goes on: to remove long-standing barriers, spark new ideas, and make sure that everyone who is part of the financial system can enjoy its full benefits.”
