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nid 94657
Aug 20, 2026
rghosh@vixio.com
Paraguay
MEF - News Releases
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1763 charsParaguay's Ministry of Economy and Finance Presents National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2026-2031
On August 19, 2026, Paraguay's Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) presented the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (Estrategia Nacional de Inclusión Financiera, ENIF) 2026-2031 through the National Committee for Financial Inclusion (Comité Nacional de Inclusión Financiera, CNIF). The presentation took place at the Central Bank of Paraguay (Banco Central del Paraguay, BCP) and was attended by President Santiago Peña, Economy and Finance Minister Oscar Lovera, BCP President Carlos Carvallo, and National Institute of Cooperativism (Instituto Nacional de Cooperativismo, INCOOP) President Carlos Romero Roa, alongside representatives from public and private sector organisations, academia, and civil society.
The ENIF 2026-2031 incorporates input from 40 entities across public and private sectors, academia, and civil society, establishing a participatory and technically robust framework. Minister Lovera emphasised that financial inclusion extends beyond providing bank accounts or formal credit access to encompassing financial literacy, consumer protection, and knowledge of financial services quality. President Peña outlined three foundational pillars for effective financial inclusion: access to appropriate products and services, financial education, and effective consumer protection. The strategy addresses new economic, technological, and social dynamics affecting Paraguay and builds upon lessons learned from the initial ENIF implemented in 2014.
The ENIF 2026-2031 is available for public consultation on the MEF website at https://www.mef.gov.py/es/enif. Implementation mechanisms and priorities were detailed during the presentation by Vice Minister of Economy and Planning Gerardo Ruiz Díaz and CNIF Executive Secretary Vivian Ocampos.
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3528 charsParaguay Presents National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2026-2031
On August 19, 2026, Paraguay's National Financial Inclusion Committee (CNIF), chaired by the Minister of Economy and Finance, launched the National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2026-2031 ( ENIF). The ENIF was developed through a participatory process involving 40 public and private sector entities, academia, and civil society, and builds on lessons from Paraguay's first ENIF, implemented in 2014.
The Strategy rests on three pillars: access to appropriate products and services, financial education, and effective consumer protection. It is structured around five working groups, each responsible for implementing a set of action lines within their respective areas.
Savings, investment, and insurance: The working group focuses on broadening access to savings, investment, and insurance products across the life cycle. Action lines include promoting child savings schemes, expanding microinsurance for recipients of conditional cash transfers, developing low-denomination automatic savings mechanisms via electronic payment channels, updating the microsurance regulatory framework, and modernising the securities and commodities market framework to strengthen transparency, investor protection, and innovation.
Access to financing: The working group aims to expand credit access for individuals and businesses, with particular emphasis on micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MIPYMEs) and self-employed workers. Action lines include progressive integration of informal workers and MIPYMEs into the financial system, review of state credit lines and guarantee mechanisms, promotion of regulated alternative financing mechanisms, implementation of the electronic promissory note , promotion of Total Credit Cost disclosure, and review of the microcredit regulatory framework.
Electronic payments and digital transfers: The working group focuses on expanding the use of electronic payment methods and strengthening payment infrastructure. Action lines include implementing electronic payments across central government entities, promoting adoption by MIPYMEs, expanding payment options in public transport ticketing, reviewing the regulatory framework for digital salary payments, improving financial access points in underserved areas, promoting zero-data financial applications in areas with limited connectivity, implementing a QR Hub for person-to-merchant payments, and deploying near-field communication (NFC) instant payment services.
Financial education and capabilities: The working group aims to strengthen financial capabilities across the life cycle. Action lines include territorial financial inclusion initiatives for priority segments, financial education programmes for MIPYMEs, certified teacher training in financial education, a relaunched National Financial Education Campaign, a legal framework mandating progressive incorporation of financial education into formal schooling, and a programme for voluntary adoption of financial education in technical institutes and universities.
Consumer protection: The working group focuses on ensuring safe and transparent conditions in the use of financial products and services. Action lines include disseminating information on consumer rights and complaint channels, adjusting the consumer protection framework as it applies to financial services, promoting inclusive service protocols in physical and digital channels for persons with disabilities and older adults, and developing tools enabling comparison of financial product prices and conditions.