(VOVworld)-How to make banking and financial services more accessible to the general public was the topic of a conference organized by the State Bank of Vietnam, Citi Foundation and Cooperative Development Foundation in Hanoi on Tuesday.

State Bank Deputy Governor Nguyen Thi Hong

State Bank Deputy Governor Nguyen Thi Hong said that financial inclusion in Vietnam should focus on more than 60 million people living in rural areas, who make up more than half of Vietnam’s labor force. This is an effective way to boost economic growth and help sustainable poverty reduction, Hong stressed.

“While developing a national strategy on financial inclusion, Vietnam has paid special attention to vulnerable groups including women, farmers, small and medium-sized enterprises and micro businesses. We’ll mobilize all available resources to promote financial inclusion,” she elaborated.  

An estimated 500 million people in the world are still unable to access banking services, with half of them living in Asia-Pacific.