Global Policy Forum 2010 to convene in Indonesia

12 May 2010: AFI and the Bank of Indonesia are delighted to announce that they will jointly convene the 2nd Global Policy Forum (GPF) on Financial Inclusion in Bali, Indonesia from 27-29 September 2010.

Building on the successes and lessons learned from the first GPF, held in Kenya in September of last year, the 2010 Forum will again bring together policymakers from AFI’s membership in developing countries and emerging markets to exchange, share and dialogue on how to innovate policy and institutional approaches to expand access to finance. Under the theme ‘Financial inclusion: Increasing access and use through innovation’, AFI will also invite a variety of key international experts and strategic partners to add to the discussion about proven policies that have increased access to financial services for the poor.

In the eight months since the first Forum – which marked the official launch of AFI – significant strides have been made at both national, regional and global levels to drive forward policy innovations and reforms that can help expand access to and use of financial services. AFI members have utilized the growing network to exchange ideas, experiences and practical advice and have lent their voice to national, regional and global debates on issue of financial inclusion.

The 2010 GPF will be a time to review and assess this overall progress, take stock of key activities among the AFI membership including working groups, grants and project implementation, and celebrate successes achieved and identify gaps and challenges yet to be overcome to further advance financial inclusion policy in developing countries. The event will feature a variety of innovative formats and tools to encourage maximum participation and knowledge exchange. The results of the GPF will set the stage for AFI’s work program for 2010-2011 in terms of priority areas for working groups, additional events and workshops, grants, and development of knowledge products and publications.

As preparations scale up for the Forum in Bali this September, additional details and clarifications will be regularly communicated to AFI members and partners. For now, AFI members are invited to please mark your calendars for the AFI GPF 2010: Increasing access and use through innovation, from September 27-29 in Bali, Indonesia.

The first AFI GPF was held in 2009 in Nairobi, and was co-hosted by the Central Bank of Kenya. Over 80 policymakers from nearly 40 countries were in attendance, along with an equal number of strategic partners from nearly 60 institutions – including researchers, donors, NGOs, and private sector partners. The first annual forum also marked the official launch of AFI as a new global network. The overall Forum theme was ‘Bringing Smart Policies to Life’.