Alliance for Financial Inclusion leads the way in collaboration

In complex financial eco-systems it is extremely important that good coordination and collaboration exist. Many organisations exist that attempt to provide a forum for collaboration on financial, payment and banking matters, but till recently no organisation provided this forum for financial regulators of low income consumers in emerging markets.

Established in 2008, the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) objective is "to build a community of policymakers who can share their collective knowledge on policy solutions to promote financial access for the poor." Funded by money from the Gates Foundation, AFI has been able to draw participation from regulators from emerging markets everywhere (Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and South America). The discussions, networking and knowledge developed during the many interactions under the auspices of AFI contributed substantially to a better environment for the establishment of mobile money.

Under the able direction from Alfred Hannig (executive director) and a steering committee from countries like (Nigeria, Kenya, the Philippines, Mexico, Peru and Thailand), expect much more good things to come from AFI.