The National Bank of Moldova (NBM) has elaborated the concept of the Program of Implementation of the National Strategy of Financial Inclusion of the Republic of Moldova until 2030 (SNIF 2030) for 2026-2030. The document aims to define specific measures through which the authorities intend to increase the access of the population and small businesses to modern and affordable financial services.
According to the concept, the SNIF 2030 Program will play a role in translating the objectives of the strategy into practice through step-by-step measures, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and by coordinating the actions of the participating institutions. The draft will be submitted to the Parliament for approval.
The NBM indicates that the Republic of Moldova continues to face a number of challenges in the area of financial inclusion. These include low use of digital payments and preference for cash payments, low levels of financial education, limited access to financial services in rural areas and for vulnerable groups, and barriers faced by SMEs in accessing finance.
The paper also highlights the low use of formal financial savings and credit products, the incomplete digitalization of wage payments and the lack of financial products tailored to certain population categories.
At the same time, the authorities note that the protection of financial services consumers remains fragmented, and the transparency of commissions and dispute resolution mechanisms are underdeveloped.
The overall objectives outlined in the paper include:
– Increasing the availability of personalized financial products and services;
– increasing the use of digital financial services;
– strengthening consumer protection;
– improving financial literacy of the population;
– development of infrastructure for collecting data on financial inclusion.
The authorities aim to increase access to financial services for the population and SMEs by 2030, encourage the use of digital payments and reduce dependence on informal transactions and cash.
At the same time, the program aims to promote financial education, especially for youth, women, the elderly, rural residents, diaspora and SMEs.
The Concept specifies that the SNIF 2030 program correlates with the commitments undertaken by the Republic of Moldova in the European integration process, including the National Program of Accession to the European Union for 2025-2029 and the National Development Strategy “European Moldova 2030”.
