On 15th of November, AFI policymakers from across Latin America and the Caribbean will gather in Cartagena, Colombia to witness the launch of the newest regional initiative from the AFI network.  This launch will take place as the highlight of a two-day forum held under the theme of “Partnerships for Prosperity: Working Together for Inclusive Growth”.

The event is set to open with welcome remarks from the forum co-hosts, Alfred Hannig, Executive Director of AFI and Carolina Robino, Senior Program Office at Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Keynote addresses will be given by the President of the National Council of the Financial System Supervision (CONASSIF) and Superintendencia General de Entidades Financieras of Costa Rica (SUGEF). Immediately following this, the Financial Inclusion Initiative for Latin America and the Caribbean, or FILAC, will officially be introduced with the adoption of the logo.

Participants will then work together over two days of scheduled meetings in both plenary and breakout sessions to discuss common issues relevant to the regulatory environment in the region, including the identification of policy challenges, the financial inclusion gender gap and innovative digital financial inclusion approaches. The forum will conclude with a summary of policy insights and debates, recommendations for FILACs strategic priorities in 2017 and the adoption of the Cartagena de Indias Consensus, .

With the introduction of FILAC, the region will join AFI’s other initiatives in Africa (AMPI) and the Pacific (PIRI), as members of the Alliance, together with its strategic partners, continue to explore new ways to increase the impact and effectiveness of their efforts to reach the unbanked and improve the lives of the poor.