AFI members and partners from around the world will converge in Mahe, Seychelles from 13-16 March for the Alliance’s 13th Consumer Empowerment and Market Conduct Working Group (CEMCWG) and 8th SME Finance Working Group Working Group (SMEFWG) Meetings.

Co-hosted by the Central Bank of Seychelles, the meeting aims to find synergies between the two working groups. AFI Executive Director Dr. Alfred Hannig will be joined by Ms. Caroline Abel, Governor of the Central Bank of Seychelles and other high-level representatives from Armenia and Swaziland in welcoming the participants. Dr. Hannig is also scheduled to moderate a session on converging global SME finance policy and regulatory agendas.

The working groups will hold a joint session to begin these meetings, providing an opportunity to discuss common priority issues, look for complementary activities and discuss possible collaborative publications. Common priority issues to be discussed include the regulatory definition of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as financial consumers and the impact of financial inclusion education programs on MSMEs.

Following the joint meeting, CEMCWG and SMEFWG members will convene in their respective working groups to discuss their workplans. Among the issues that will be covered by CEMCWG includes financial consumer protection in digital financial services and consumer protection for digital delivered financial services and products. SMEFWG will discuss the impact of financial literacy campaigns and the role of financial inclusion policymakers and regulators in improving credit infrastructure, among other topics.

Immediately following the Working Group meetings, AFI will join its Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) partner Visa to host a training session on the acceptance of digital payments by micro, small and medium-sized merchants. Part of AFI’s Capacity Building program, this interactive day-long training will look at the demographics of small merchants, present levels of acceptance, and infrastructure, economic and regulatory barriers to acceptance.

For the full agenda and more details of these and other upcoming events, visit the AFI Events page.