Dutch Queen promotes universal access to finance

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands said on Friday that she was impressed with China's commitment to build a more inclusive financial system that benefits countries and peoples across the world.

The Queen, ending a five-day-visit by addressing a briefing at the United Nations building in Beijing, said: "I am impressed by China's commitment and I think that in order to come forward we need to be more creative and client-centric".

Invited by the Chinese government, Queen Maxima was paying her first visit to China as the UN Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.

She had meetings with the heads of China's central bank, the People's bank of China, the national bank regulator, the China Banking Regulatory Commission and representatives from various financial institutions.

"For economies at every level of development, ensuring that households and small business owners gain access to basic financial services is of utmost importance. This has a positive impact on equitable growth, job creation, and innovation," she said in a speech to the National School of Development, Beijing University.

The Queen also visited a noodle restaurant on the outskirts of Beijing to see how small businesses could access financial services.

Having years of experience in banking, Queen Maxima was appointed as the UN advocate in Sept 2009. Emphasizing that financial inclusion is crucial for expanding equitable growth, combating poverty and hunger, creating jobs and empowering women, she hopes to accomplish universal access to financial services for households and enterprises by 2030.