Isaac Awuondo (Commercial Bank of Africa), Dylan Higgins (Kopo Kopo), Nick Hughes (M-PESA and M-KOPA), Innocent Ephraim (M-PESA, Vodacom), together with moderator Tilman Ehrbeck (CGAP) discussed the opening of new opportunities to serve low income people that has been made possible by the success of mobile money in East Africa. Nick Hughes, stated what all participants on this panel also affirmed: “The key is keeping things simple and reaching scale fast. This is actually very complex.”
The Microfinance CEO’s Working Group (a collaborative effort by the CEOs of eight leading global microfinance organizations including Accion, FINCA International, Freedom from Hunger, Grameen Foundation, Opportunity International, Pro Mujer, VisionFund International, and Women’s World Banking) was one of several groups that took advantage of the Global Forum to convene. With FI2020 as a backdrop, they began to redefine the role of microfinance in the new environment of financial inclusion. Many of the CEOs agreed with Alex Counts, CEO of Grameen Foundation, when he blogged, “I emerged from the Global Forum feeling that this campaign for full financial inclusion… is evolving as a powerful rallying point for a diverse coalition of providers, regulators, technologists, researchers, and activists.” The CEOs also met with the Council of Microfinance Equity Funds, focusing on the importance of embedding the client protection principles, pricing transparency and social performance management into the processes of all MFIs. They agreed to continue this dialogue to encourage adoption.
Microfinance CEO Working Group (MCWG) Convenes at Forum
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Financial Inclusion 2020: Access and Quality for All
This introductory video highlights why financial inclusion matters and the global trends that are making it possible through data and quotes from clients.
Building an Ecosystem that Spurs Innovation