The CNBS hosted the FinEquityLAC 2025 Annual Meeting

The National Commission of Banks and Insurances (CNBS) was the venue for the FinEquityALC Annual Meeting 2025, a regional space for exchanging experiences, identifying challenges, discussing best practices, and solving common problems in order to promote equitable access to and the use of financial products and services. The event took place on June 18 and 19, 2025, and was organized by FinEquityALC, a community dedicated to empowering women through financial inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean, convened by the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), together with UN Women and the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), with the collaboration of the CNBS.

On the first day, under the title “How can financial inclusion boost opportunities and employment for women in Latin America and the Caribbean?”, it was conducted virtually with a regional focus. It began with inspiring reflections from experts in financial inclusion and gender approach, followed by a panel with prominent leaders in the field, where the necessary changes were discussed for financial inclusion to accelerate women’s economic autonomy and overall well-being in the region.

Subsequently, six parallel sessions were held addressing various topics. The challenges and opportunities for including excluded populations, primarily migrant women, rural women, elderly women, and those with disabilities, were discussed. New tools to measure the well-being and financial health of women were also presented, and financial and gender innovation was explored to transform access to credit. In addition, the role of regulation in closing gender gaps was analyzed, and the implementation of smart gender strategies was addressed as tools for financial service providers and how they can strengthen the climate resilience of women.

The second day, focused on a national vision under the slogan “From evidence to action: Co-creating strategies for effective financial inclusion of women in Honduras”, took place at the facilities of the CNBS with the participation of representatives from various public and private institutions and international cooperation organizations.

The event started with the main takeaways from the first day and with words from Mariana Martínez, Regional Leader of FinEquityALC; Marcela Herrera, Manager of Education and Financial Inclusion and Gender at the CNBS; and Miriam Bandes, UN Women Representative in Honduras.

Following, during this event, various panels and workshops were held focused on sharing experiences and lessons, and identifying actions to contribute to the financial inclusion of women in Honduras. The panels addressed the advances and challenges in this area, highlighting strategies to reduce the gaps in the Honduran financial system. Additionally, successful international experiences in women’s financial inclusion were presented, seeking to identify replicable practices. Moreover, a collaborative workshop was developed with UN Women designed to build a comprehensive map of the financial health ecosystem for women, and interactive workshops on the design of gender-focused financial products and services and the use of sex-disaggregated data to improve financial health were conducted.

This initiative is part of the efforts of the CNBS to collaborate with various organizations to promote gender equality and financial inclusion.