range of financial services. the bsp also developed multisectoral partnerships to promote 2 / 4 bis - central bankers'speeches financial inclusion. this was the foundation for the inter - agency committee to implement the national strategy for financial inclusion. it was governor nestor espenilla jr. who led the bsp's adoption of digital technology for financial inclusion. to him, digital technology brings scale and affordability to financial transactions. and it opens new possibilities for delivering financial services even to difficult - to - serve markets within our archipelago of 7, 641 islands. governor espenilla was ready to give innovation a chance if it can move financial inclusion forward. he used the regulatory sandbox framework of " test and learn " to allow bsp supervised institutions, third - party service providers, and new players to offer financial products and services using new technology to a limited number of customers, in a controlled environment. this then informs the appropriate regulatory and supervisory approach. last year, afi started giving out the " nestor espenilla, jr. financial inclusion award, " which recognizes institutions that demonstrate outstanding commitment toward innovation and the use of technology to further financial inclusion. it was afi's way of honoring governor espenilla's contributions to the advancement of financial inclusion through innovation. on behalf of the bangko sentral ng pilipinas and governor espenilla's family, represented here today by his wife tess, we thank you afi. to governor benjamin diokno, bsp's inclusion story is one of evolution, and laying the solid foundation that would carry us through ordinary and extraordinary times. it was under his term as chair of the nsfi steering committee that a presidential memorandum circular ( no. 97 dated june 23, 2022 ) was issued, institutionalizing the whole - of - government support for the implementation of the national strategy for financial inclusion 2022 - 2028. the circular also declared the adoption of financial inclusion as a development agenda at both the national and subnational levels. governor felipe medalla, for his part, walked his talk on financial inclusion. with a team from the bsp, he went to public markets to engage market vendors, public transport drivers, and small businesses to shift to the safer and more convenient digital payments platform through paleng - qr ph plus. to governor medalla, it is imperative that the bsp remains focused on doing its best to fulfill its mandates of maintaining price stability, financial stability, and a secure and efficient payment system

guy quaden : review of significant events in 2005 introductory speech by mr guy quaden, governor of the national bank of belgium, at the ordinary general meeting of the national bank of belgium, brussels, 27 march 2006. * * * ladies and gentlemen, i would like to welcome you, both personally and on behalf of my colleagues on the board of directors, on the occasion of this ordinary general meeting of the shareholders of the national bank of belgium. i also hope that this meeting can proceed smoothly and enable us to answer, in a calmer atmosphere than last year, the questions which you have submitted to us and any others that you raise. we want to answer as many questions as possible, but reasonably quickly and in an orderly way. in particular, this meeting is not the place to answer questions concerning the legal actions which are still pending before the courts, nor questions which do not concern the past financial year. as last year, i would like to give you a brief account of the most significant events in the year under review, before handing over to the vice - governor who will present and comment on the annual accounts for 2005. various new projects entrusted to the bank by the public authorities and the economic agents in general bear witness to the confidence which belgian society as a whole continues to place in our institution. the principal project concerns the future of the means of payment. in 2004, the ministers of finance, economic affairs and consumer protection commissioned the bank to organise a national dialogue on the efficiency of the payment systems in belgium. to that end, the bank set up a steering committee on the future of the means of payment, with representatives from all the parties concerned. in 2005, that steering committee published two reports : the first concerns the costs, advantages and disadvantages of the various means of payment, and the second deals with the modernisation of the payment channels used by the public authorities. this steering committee has yet to address the question of the transition to the single euro payments area, in which the payment systems of various countries will be integrated, augmenting the efficiency of cross - border payments. the establishment of synergies between the bank and the cbfa, provided for by the law of 2 august 2002 on the supervision of the financial sector and on financial services, has continued, particularly in regard to financial stability, it systems and crisis management. however, the only way of fulfilling the ultimate goal of the reform is by fostering still closer links and the spirit of cooperation, with due respect