*  *  *  Introduction In the year since I last spoke to you here, Japan's economy has continued to expand moderately. Semiannually in April and October, the Bank of Japan explains its projection for the nation's economy in its Outlook for Economic Activity and Prices, or the Outlook Report for short.
Today, Mr. Carstens will speak on “ Central Banking and Innovation: Partners in the Quest for Financial Inclusion”, – a topic which could easily be the most relevant at the current juncture. The recent emergence of fintech or digital innovations in finance is potentially a strong transformative force to shape the financial sector globally.