UNSGSA Queen Máxima Champions Financial Health on Visit to London

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UNSGSA Queen Máxima attends a roundtable meeting on workplace emergency savings initiatives, hosted by BlackRock in London, UK, on 4 December 2024. Photo credit: Mischa Schoemaker

Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health (UNSGSA), was in London 3–4 December 2024 for a series of events and stakeholder meetings. Her visit focused on advocating for financial health as a critical driver of inclusive and sustainable growth. UNSGSA Queen Máxima also met with representatives from the UK’s private and public sectors to discuss their pivotal role in enhancing financial health through financial services.

On 3 December, the UNSGSA participated in a keynote interview at the Financial Times’ Global Banking Summit with Silvia Pavoni, Editor-in-Chief of The Banker, on the theme of “Rethinking Banking: Banking Through the Lens of Consumer Financial Health”. During the discussion, the Special Advocate shared her vision of financial health, emphasizing the need for customer-centric financial products, services, and policies that empower people to effectively manage daily finances, build resilience against financial shocks, save or invest in long-term goals, and foster confidence in their financial futures. Queen Máxima also appeared in a Bloomberg TV interview with Francine Lacqua to discuss similar themes.

The UNSGSA took part in two roundtable discussions during her visit. The first, “Unlocking Affordable Credit Access in the UK”, was hosted by Fair4All Finance and focused on solutions to provide affordable, responsible credit for needs such as bridging liquidity gaps before payday or managing unexpected expenses, like car repairs essential for work. The second roundtable, “Innovations in Workplace Emergency Savings Initiatives” hosted by BlackRock and facilitated by Nest Insight, explored how employers can support employees in building financial resilience through emergency savings and the regulatory frameworks required to enable such initiatives to scale and thrive.

In addition, Queen Máxima held a series of meetings to exchange insights on the business case for financial health and the role of regulators in driving progress. These included discussions with executives from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK’s primary financial regulator, as well from NatWest, Starling Bank, Mastercard, and Absa Group.