Frank Elderson: Towards a better, more digital, financially inclusive world

Speech by Mr Frank Elderson, Executive Director of the Netherlands Bank, at the NpM CEO event Platform for Inclusive Finance, Den Haag, 7 September 2017.

The views expressed in this speech are those of the speaker and not the view of the BIS.

I'm sure we've all been in this situation. You've got something really important to do, but it never makes it to the top of the agenda. Instead, there's always something more urgent that comes along and takes up all your time. Something you need to deal with right away. Which means putting everything else on hold.

A wise man once said: "Most things that are urgent are not important. And most things that are important are not urgent".

Today I'd like to present you with three pearls of wisdom from this man. You've just heard the first. I didn't mention this because you don't appreciate the urgency of financial inclusion, but because you so admirably manage to keep the subject constantly on the agenda.

The man I just quoted was a Republican President of the United States. Although the president I am referring to spoke these words in nineteen fifty-four, they form the basis for a time management technique which is still widely in use today. Unfortunately - among some young people - this historical figure is better known for this technique rather than for all his other achievements.

I am of course talking about Dwight D. Eisenhower. The man who was not only President of the United States, but before that was the general who played such a paramount role in liberating Europe from fascism, putting an end to the Second World War.