The International Seminar on Payment Systems and Financial Inclusion will be held in Quito, Ecuador on 2 August. The event forms part of the 85th anniversary celebrations of the Central Bank of Ecuador (BCE), coinciding with the XXIV Meeting of Presidents of Central Banks of MERCOSUR.

AFI, in cooperation with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), will support the BCE in this important financial inclusion event, which involves high-level stakeholders from Latin America and other regions, including the President of Ecuador. Attendees will include presidents and managers of central banks, supervisors of banks and other financial institutions, senior government officials, representatives of the private financial sector, cooperative sector representatives, international cooperation agencies, multilateral, internationally renowned experts and scholars.

The event’s objective is to promote the discussion and exchange of experiences among key actors on the role of central banks and payment systems in the framework of financial inclusion. This seminar will feature AFI Executive Director Alfred Hannig, as well as the following AFI members: Dr. Saeed Ahmed, Head of Agricultural Credit and Microfinance Department, State Bank of Pakistan; Stephen Mwaura, Head National Payments System, Central Bank of Kenya; Carlos López Moctezuma, Coordinador de Asesores del Presidente de la CNBV Mexico; Melchor Plabasan, Core Information Technology Specialist Group, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Through the pursuance of its financial inclusion policies, BCE aims to break through the vicious cycle that has limited the impact of initiatives to combat poverty in Latin America.