JEDDAH — Qatar's “Digital Government 2020 Strategy” focuses on people, using technology to deliver real benefits to the people of Qatar, whether they are citizens, residents or visitors; businesses and private organizations, and government entities themselves, said Dr. R Seetharaman, Group CEO, Doha Bank, in his keynote speech at The International Banking Summit 2015 held in Hungary on June 9-10, 2015 under the patronage of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The theme of the summit was "Financial Inclusion for Social Development and Stability". “It will enhance the customer experience, provide greater access to government services, and improve government efficiency, leading to better outcomes for the nation. Innovations in technology--such as mobile payments, mobile banking, and borrower identification using biometric data makes it easier and less expensive for people to use financial services, while increasing financial security. Digital Government uses technology to deliver real benefits for people who access government services. This can involve making transactions available online, simplifying websites to make them easier to use, and creating innovative new applications that improve people's lives," Dr. R Seetharaman said. He further said "Digital Society aims to ensure all people in Qatar have the skills and capabilities to use ICTs in an effective and safe way. The digital society programs include digital inclusion, digital literacy, ICT skills and Digital impact and emerging technologies. The digital society program targets segments of society that are at the risk of digital exclusion by creating opportunities for access, learning and effective use of technology. The digital literacy program aims to raise awareness and foster a healthy cyber culture in which all Qatar's population has the knowledge and critical understanding necessary to engage in safe online opportunities. The ICT skills program aims to develop a highly skilled and well-qualified ICT workforce to enrich Qatar's knowledge-based economy. The digital impact and emerging technologies program focuses on studying the effects of ICT and the Internet on society, and enabling a better understanding of emerging digital technologies and their potential." Moreover, he said "The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ictQATAR) works to bridge the digital divide in Qatar so that everybody can be a part of Qatar's information society through the Digital Inclusion program which is the process of reaching out to the Qatar population. Qatar's financial inclusion model is first of its kind for financial stability." Senior diplomats, leading bankers and banking regulators from across the globe attended the event. Dr. Seetharaman said "62 percent of the world's adult population has an account, up from 51 percent in 2011. In 2011, 2.5 billion adults were unbanked, compared to 2 billion today. Hence there is a global push toward financial inclusion which is gaining strength. The emerging countries have witnessed wider participation from its people. The G20 principles for financial inclusion comprise of leadership, diversity, innovation, protection, empowerment, co-operation, knowledge, proportionality and framework. The G20 has established Global partnership for financial inclusion (GPFI), a consultative mechanism which includes non-G20 countries and other key stakeholders to maximize the impact of the G20's work on financial inclusion. The access to the financial system can reduce income inequality, boost job creation, and make people less vulnerable to unexpected losses of income. People who are "unbanked" find it harder to save, plan for the future, start a business, or recover from a crisis. India launched in 2014 Prime Minister's People Money Scheme which is a National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely Banking Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance and Pension in an affordable manner." — SG
