MARSHALL Islands President Hilda Heine opened the (PIF) 2026 Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (FEMM) in Majuro this week, urging Pacific governments to move beyond discussion and deliver practical reforms that expand financial access across the region.
Speaking at the International Conference Centre shortly after arriving from the Berlin Climate Mobility Forum in Germany, Heine said this year’s theme, “Economic and Financial Inclusion in the Pacific,” goes to the heart of efforts to build “stronger, more resilient, and more equitable economies.”
She said Pacific countries continue to face structural barriers, including geographic isolation, weak financial connectivity, and the long-term decline of correspondent banking relationships.
Those constraints, she said, have limited access to essential financial services for households, businesses and communities, especially in remote and outer-island areas.
Heine pointed to new opportunities in digital connectivity and financial technology.
She said recent advances in communications and digital financial systems could help close longstanding gaps in access while preserving regulatory standards and financial integrity.
Marshall Islands, she said, is exploring innovative ways to widen financial access and strengthen economic participation, but she emphasised that the region’s challenges require a coordinated response.
“While individual countries are pursuing different approaches, regional cooperation remains essential,” Heine said, adding that Pacific leaders and development partners should share practical experience and work together on solutions that deliver “meaningful results for Pacific peoples.”
She urged ministers to turn the forum’s discussions into concrete action that improves livelihoods across the Blue Pacific.
