Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands will visit Indonesia in her capacity as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health from the evening of Monday, 24 November to Thursday, 27 November. During her visit she will meet with public and private sector leaders, as well as Indonesians from diverse backgrounds, to learn about financial health challenges and opportunities. She will advocate for policies, tools, and products that will help Indonesia’s financial system improve the financial wellbeing and resilience of all Indonesians.
On Tuesday, she will visit Central Java, where she will speak with garment workers who participate in the financial health programs of Reimagining Industry to Support Equality (RISE) at a factory run by the Makalot Group. RISE works with brands, suppliers, and financial partners to improve workers’ financial health in garment and footwear supply chains. She will speak with the workers about the impact of wage digitization and financial planning education on their financial lives, and hear their thoughts on additional products and support they need to pursue their aspirations. She will also hold a discussion with young Indonesians, hosted by Women’s World Banking, to better understand their experiences in managing their financial lives and the mindsets, habits, and social influences that underpin their financial behaviors. She will then meet with women microentrepreneurs in an historic Batik village to hear how the fintech Amartha has helped them grow their incomes through a grassroots community-building approach, in combination with app-based digital products that include affordable credit, micro-investing, and digital payments.
These conversations will help ground the UNSGSA’s advocacy in everyday realities of Indonesians as she engages with public and private sector leaders.
On Wednesday, November 26, Queen Máxima will meet with private sector leaders and development organizations in Jakarta to explore opportunities to strengthen financial health in Indonesia. She will begin the day by meeting with the heads of international development agencies and UN entities in Indonesia, in a discussion convened by the UN Resident Coordinator. She will then join private sector leaders in the credit sector for a roundtable hosted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group's private sector arm. The IFC roundtable will focus on strengthening Indonesia’s credit infrastructure and enhancing consumer credit awareness to build a responsible and inclusive credit ecosystem that supports the financial health of individuals and households.
She will engage with major employers at a roundtable hosted by Deloitte Indonesia, where some of the country’s largest companies will discuss the importance of advancing workers’ financial health, and the role employers can play in supporting their workforce.
Queen Máxima will conclude Wednesday’s series of group discussions with a Leaders’ Gathering hosted by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth. The session will focus on the role of financial service providers, technology and telecommunication companies, and other stakeholders in building greater financial resilience in the digital economy, including through solutions such as emergency savings and affordable insurance.
Between meetings on Wednesday, the UNSGSA will travel to Bekasi, West Java to meet clients of Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN). She will hear firsthand how access to affordable, appropriate housing finance opportunities can transform day-to-day financial behaviors and long-term financial security of low-income families. She will also attend a mass mortgage signing and speak to new homeowners, and learn about BTN’s green initiatives and the complementary financial products and services that help families strengthen their financial futures.
On Thursday, 27 November, Queen Máxima will meet with senior leaders of the Indonesian government and key regulatory agencies, including the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Governor of Bank Indonesia, the Chairman of the Financial Services Authority (OJK), and the Chairman of the Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS). She will share insights from her previous engagements and discuss priority actions to strengthen Indonesia’s financial sector so it can better support the financial health of all Indonesians. She will then join members of Satgas PASTI — Indonesia’s national task force for combating illegal financial activities and scams — along with private sector leaders in a discussion hosted by OJK on the growing threat of scams. Queen Máxima will also speak during a fireside chat at a national financial health event organized by OJK.
The UNSGSA will meet with President Prabowo Subianto on Thursday to share findings from her engagements, exchange views with the President on his vision for enhancing the financial health of Indonesians, and offer her support for these national priorities.
Financial health is a challenge for many countries across the world, including Indonesia. Three in ten Indonesians rely on payday loans to get through the month, and only 1 in 10 adults save for old age. Scams are also a serious concern—1 in 4 consumers reported losing money to scams via real-time payments in 2024.
Across her conversations in Indonesia, the UNSGSA will emphasize the critical role of a customer-centric and inclusive financial system in improving Indonesians’ financial health. She will highlight that stronger financial health is not only vital for households but also essential for Indonesia’s broader economic ambitions.
When families are better able to manage daily expenses, cope with shocks, and plan for the future, they participate more fully in the economy and build lasting security. By elevating financial health as a national priority, Indonesia can ensure that household resilience becomes a driver of sustained economic growth and broader financial opportunity for all.
UNSGSA Queen Máxima will be supported during her visit by members of the UNSGSA Reference Group, including the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), the Gates Foundation, International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the World Bank.
This is Queen Máxima’s fourth visit to Indonesia in her UN capacity. She previously visited in 2012, 2016, and 2018 in her role as the UNSGSA for Inclusive Finance for Development.
