AFI will send a delegation to Shanghai next week to participate in the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) China 2016 “New Development and Indicators Update” workshop set for 1-2 March 2016, as well as the GPFI Meeting the following day.

Topics of discussion for the workshop include global trends in financial inclusion, reaching the last mile, roles of the public and private sector in financial inclusion, financial inclusion indicators and data, and digital financial inclusion.

AFI Executive Director Alfred Hannig has been invited to participate in the meeting, and will focus his remarks on the importance of the GPFI leadership role and its strong position to advocate for and help refine the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

AFI Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist Charles Marwa will participate in a panel session during the workshop that will examine the development of financial inclusion indicators in the network, the production of guides on financial inclusion data collection and usage, as well as the creation of a member-driven online database for financial inclusion.

GPFI priorities in 2016, under China’s Presidency, include the continuation of work on the agenda items of former Presidencies and supporting the implementation of the G20 Financial Inclusion Action Plan. There will be a particular focus on:

• Digital financial inclusion: Innovation, supervision and regulation;
• Data and indicators;
• Reaching the ‘last mile:’ Rural areas, the poor, the youth and the elderly;
• Financial consumer protection and financial literacy;
• SME finance: Diversified financing channels.

The GPFI is the main implementing mechanism of the endorsed action plan by G20 Leaders during the Seoul Summit and functions as an inclusive platform for G20 countries, non-G20 countries and relevant stakeholders for peer learning, knowledge sharing, policy advocacy and coordination. It contributes to strengthen coordination and collaboration between various national, regional and international stakeholders, as called for in Action Item 6 of the G20 Financial Inclusion Action Plan. Spearheading the implementation were the three key Implementing Partners: The Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).