Financial Inclusion

The financial services industry has much to contribute to the UN and World Bank goal of full financial inclusion by 2020. This group will focus on industry contributions, ideas, barriers and enablers.

Retired Member 

Confronting financial exclusion: what banks can learn from fintechs

In the current economic climate, as people all over the UK are grappling with record-high inflation and still-rising interest rates, it’s been suggested that as much as 40% of the population could fall into fuel poverty this coming winter. In April 2022, almost 14% of households in the UK were struggling to afford food, with figures on the rise. ...

04 January 2023 /retail /inclusion

Colin Grieves Managing Director Marketing Services at Experian

How data analysis is key to understanding rising living costs

The ability to analyse and use the relevant data, in the right way, and in real time, is the key to harnessing the true value that data holds. Data analysis can play a crucial role in helping us respond to long-standing and emerging challenges – providing valuable new insight and helping deliver better outcomes. Data helps many businesses and orga...

18 November 2022 /inclusion

Donica Venter Marketing coordinator at Traderoot

How Fintech Innovation is Driving Financial Inclusion (and Disrupting Established Markets)

Most of us take our daily access to financial services for granted. Imagine living without access to a bank account, a loan or an investment product. That’s the reality for 1.7 billion people throughout the world. According to a study by the British research platform Merchant Machine, Morocco, Vietnam, Egypt, the Philippines and Mexico are the top...

28 September 2022 /payments /inclusion

Claus Christensen CEO at Know Your Customer

How RegTech Powers SME Financial Inclusion in Southeast Asia

It is no exaggeration that SMEs are the backbone of the economy. According to the World Bank, SMEs represent about 90% of businesses and over 50% of employment worldwide. In Southeast Asia specifically, SMEs account for up to 99% of all companies. However, many small and micro businesses still struggle to access the financial products that cou...

15 September 2022 /regulation /inclusion

Ali Hamriti Co-Founder and CEO at Rollee

Financial services are not set up to cope with rising independent workers

The pandemic caused an undoubtable and significant shift in the way people work and earn a living. The number of people identifying as ‘independent workers’ increased by over a third as the importance of balance and flexibility at work gained priority, and people realised they could earn an income from home amidst changing circumstances. But even ...

12 September 2022 /startups /inclusion

Abe Karar Chief Product & Innovation Officer at Fintech Galaxy

How inclusive is the concept of Financial Inclusion in the era of Open Banking/Finance

Financial Inclusion is high on the global Open Banking/Finance agenda. Nevertheless, it seems to have failed to a certain extent to deliver on this metric in some jurisdictions worldwide. However, instead of criticizing, let's investigate some examples and highlight some key lessons learned. First, it's essential to understand that Financial Inc...

22 August 2022 /payments /people

David Ritter Director, Financial Services Strategy at CI&T

Why digitisation is a game-changer for financial inclusion

One customer segment that has been historically neglected by the financial services sector is the so-called “unbanked” and “underbanked”. The unbanked are people who don’t use any banking services, including debit cards, current accounts, and savings accounts. Meanwhile, underbanked consumers use some type of bank account, but don’t have regular a...

10 June 2022 /people /inclusion

Aurélie L'hostis Principal Analyst at Forrester Research

The Time To Act On Inclusive Finance Is Now

“Soy mayor, no idiota” — “I’m old, not an idiot.” That’s the headline of a Change.org campaign launched by Carlos San Juan, a 78-year-old Spaniard who argued that the closure of bank branches and the forced migration of customers to digital banking were sidelining elderly and vulnerable customers. The petition, which asked for more consideration a...

17 May 2022 /retail /inclusion

Alessandro Hatami Managing Partner at Pacemakers.io

Inclusive Finance Manifesto

The most effective means to achieve economic and social welfare is our ability to earn a living. Earning a fair living is inexorably linked to our access to financial services. In order to get paid or to pay someone, to protect a bit of excess earnings, to borrow to buy a home or to fund a business, we all need access to a provider of financial se...

11 May 2022 /retail /sustainable

Retired Member 

Are financial services ready for Gen Z?

Facebook has a problem. Gen Z thinks it’s a stale old “boomer” platform. In 2012, 94% of teens had an account. A decade later, it’s thought only 27% of adolescents use the network. Last year, Mark Zuckerberg hastily announced attracting younger users should become its immediate north star. However, as its stock plunged $230 billion in a single d...

01 March 2022 /inclusion /markets