Addressing financial abuse has become increasingly important in strengthening financial inclusion and consumer protection frameworks recognizing the growing impact of financial control within personal relationships and communities, the Gender Equality, Social Inclusion (GESI) Desk of the Bank of Papua New Guinea facilitated a Financial Abuse Workshop for staff of the Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI) on April 07 at the CEFI Office.
The workshop was delivered by Catherine Fitzpatrick, Founder and Director of Flequity, and Ryan Burke, Consultant with the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The sessions focused on strengthening institutional understanding of financial abuse and equipping financial educators with practical tools to promote financial safety and empowerment.
Opening the workshop, Ms. Fitzpatrick presented on Financial Abuse Strategy and Financial Safety by Design, emphasizing the need for financial institutions to recognize how financial products and services can be misused to exert control over individuals, particularly in family or partner relationships.
She explained that financial abuse differs from fraud or scams, noting that, “What we’re really looking at is somebody using money to control another person in a partnership or family relationship.”
Fitzpatrick highlighted the importance of integrating financial abuse awareness into financial literacy programmes, enabling individuals to identify harmful behaviors that may otherwise go unrecognized.
She stressed that institutions have a responsibility to ensure their systems promote independence and wellbeing. “You need to recognize that your products might be misused for controlling somebody else,” she said, adding that more than 80 organizations globally have incorporated financial abuse protections into customer terms and conditions.
She further explained that the Financial Safety by Design framework supports institutions to identify risks within financial products, particularly digital services such as online banking and mobile wallets, which may be exploited to monitor or restrict financial activity. The framework encourages organizations to strengthen safeguards, improve communication on acceptable use of financial services, and embed protective measures that reduce vulnerability.
Mr. Burke expanded on these discussions through his presentation on Empower Finance and the Community of Practice initiative, highlighting research findings across the Asia-Pacific region. He noted that many individuals are familiar with financially abusive behaviors but lack the terminology to identify them. “People have seen the behaviour… but nobody knew what to call it,” he said.
Burke shared findings from surveys involving more than 7,000 bank employees, revealing that 46 per cent knew someone in their community experiencing financial abuse, while 51 per cent had observed customers facing similar situations. Common behaviours included controlling household income, limiting access to bank accounts, and pressuring individuals to surrender earnings. He emphasized that “frontline bank staff see financial abuse on a very regular basis,” reinforcing the need for structured institutional responses.
He explained that the Empower Finance initiative supports financial institutions to strengthen fraud detection systems, improve customer protection measures, and build staff capacity to respond effectively. “Now we know about it, we can do something about it,” Burke said, highlighting the importance of collaboration between regulators, financial institutions, and development partners to improve outcomes for vulnerable individuals.
The workshop also included a group activity and question and answer session, providing CEFI staff with an opportunity to discuss practical approaches to integrating financial abuse awareness into financial literacy programmes. Feedback from participants was positive, with staff expressing appreciation for the relevance of the presentations and the practical tools shared to support financial safety initiatives.
In closing, Agesula Jogamup, GESI Manager at the Bank of Papua New Guinea, emphasised the importance of translating knowledge into practical community-level impact. “What do we do after this? What is our role in here?” she asked, encouraging CEFI Staff to consider how lessons from the workshop could be applied through training resources, community awareness materials, and strengthened institutional collaboration.
Mrs Jogamup acknowledged CEFI’s ongoing leadership in financial literacy and outreach programmes, noting the value of leveraging existing platforms to expand public awareness.
She further highlighted the need for continued capacity building and collaboration with partners such as IFC to ensure sustained progress in addressing financial abuse. “Interaction with communities is important,” Mrs Jogamup stated, reinforcing the role of financial educators in building trust and supporting individuals affected by financial abuse.
The workshop demonstrated the importance of partnerships between the Bank of Papua New Guinea, CEFI, and development partners in strengthening financial inclusion initiatives that prioritize safety, empowerment, and protection for vulnerable individuals.
Ends.
Image Captions:
Image 1: CEFI staff pose for a group photograph with the Bank of Papua New Guinea GESI team and workshop facilitators following the Financial Abuse Workshop on 7 April 2026.
Image 2: Opening the workshop, Ms Fitzpatrick presented on Financial Abuse Strategy and Financial Safety by Design.
Image 3: Ms Fitzpatrick delivering her presentation on Financial Abuse Strategy and Financial Safety by Design at the CEFI office on 7 April 2026.
Image 4: Catherine Fitzpatrick, Founder and Director of Flequity, delivering her presentation during the Financial Abuse Workshop at the CEFI office on 7 April 2026.
Image 5: CEFI staff member Tobias Toumne providing feedback during a group activity.
Image 6: CEFI staff member Adelle Auhava presenting her group’s feedback during a group activity and question-and-answer session.
Image 7: Ryan Burke, Consultant with the International Finance Corporation, delivering his presentation on Empower Finance and the Community of Practice during the Financial Abuse Workshop at the CEFI office on 7 April 2026.
Image 8: Ryan Burke, Consultant with the International Finance Corporation, presenting during the Financial Abuse Workshop at the CEFI office on 7 April 2026.
Image 9: Ryan Burke, Consultant with the International Finance Corporation, presenting on Empower Finance and the Community of Practice during the Financial Abuse Workshop at the CEFI office on 7 April 2026.
About CEFI
CEFI was established under the Association Incorporation Act and officially launched on the 24th of April 2013. CEFI was endorsed by PNG’s National Executive Council (NEC) as the industry apex organization for coordinating, advocating and moniotoring all financial inclusion activities in PNG.
CEFI’s vision, mission and values focus on financial inclusion and literacy, poverty elimination and the promotion of vibrant financial institutional operation in Papua New Guinea.
Visit our website – www.thecefi.org
Media Contact:
Mr. Leslie Omaro
Communication Officer
Phone: 7464 5678
Email: lomaro@thecefi.org
