push " and identified several drivers, one of which is wealth creation. i called attention to the fact that almost 3 in 5 persons in the usa or 60 per cent are invested in the us stock market. in contrast, only 4 per cent of persons ( 1 in 25 ) in the eccu are invested in the eastern caribbean securities market. i then proposed a stretch target to raise that number from 1 in 25 persons t0 1 in 5 persons ( 20 per cent ) over the next decade. i confirm that the launch of this fund is aligned with the strategic directions of the eccb, which include financial inclusion and wealth creation. through this mutual fund, citizens and residents of the eccu will have access to the international financial markets. i understand the minimum investment size is us $ 200 or ec $ 540, after which any amounts could be invested. from the perspective of financial inclusion, this relatively low entry investment size provides a great opportunity for our people to invest and access the regional and international capital markets. and before you complain about the quantum required, i invite some of you to reflect on what you paid for your recent old year's night fete. the launch of this mutual fund leverages the strong savings culture in our region and offers an accessible and affordable way to help more of our savers become financial investors. in recent times, we have observed some persons pursuing risky options such as investments in cryptos. i hope these persons will consider this mutual fund as a safer option in which to invest their hard - earned money. wealth creation is essential for building resilience it is appropriate to situate the launch of this mutual fund in the wider context of our region's quest to create prosperity and build resilience. our inaugural financial literacy and inclusion survey found that 50 per cent of persons ( 1 in 2 ) in the eccu are not financially resilient. for me, resilience is the capacity to withstand and absorb shocks and bounce forward ( not back ). 2 / 3 bis - central bankers'speeches i truly believe that wealth creation is one pathway to building financial resilience ; to the extent that our people generate additional income and wealth, including intergenerational wealth transfer, the stronger their capacity to weather financial storms and shocks. so leveraging the question i posed to our currency union, i invite you to now reflect on this personal and provocative question : what will it take to double your net worth over the next decade? could we personalise this question

an efficient and effective supervisory framework for a more integrated, competitive and developed financial system is crucial for europe ’ s growth. iv. concluding remarks ladies and gentlemen, a “ holistic ” approach to this gala dinner should also mean combining the food for thought, which i hope to have provided, with our attention to the more tangible nutritional elements, that is, our dinner. let me conclude by returning to adam smith and some pertinent views of his, as assessed by alan greenspan : “ modern economic analysis has confirmed much of what adam smith inferred from a far less impressive set of data. today ’ s economists generally point to three important characteristics influencing growth : ( 1 ) the extent [ … ] of a country ’ s integration with the rest of the world, ( 2 ) the quality of a country ’ s institutional infrastructure, and ( 3 ) the success of its policy - makers in implementing measures necessary for stability ”. as i have highlighted tonight, each of these three elements – integration, institutional infrastructure and stability ( both for macroeconomic and financial ) – remain of crucial importance to europe ’ s economic growth and prosperity. thank you very much for your attention.