In-country Implementation | Alliance for Financial Inclusion

In-Country Implementation (ICI) is a strategic initiative under AFI’s Phase III Strategy that aims to accelerate financial inclusion across the network by enhancing peer learning and advancing member-based endorsed accords.

The ICI program also reinforces AFI’s second strategic objective to support members in implementing financial inclusion policies. As such, it supports the provision of financial or technical support to AFI member institutions in conducting activities that aim to deliver financial inclusion policies, regulations, supervisory tools or enablers for the development of policies, such as national financial inclusion strategies. It also provides technical capacity to help establish implementation units, coordination structures and mechanisms that enhance financial inclusion at the country level.

Driven by AFI’s core ethos of a bottom-up, member-driven approach, ICI ensures that AFI continues to represent members’ views and needs while remaining neutral in the delivery of its services.

ICI Grants

AFI provides member institutions with financial support to assist with the implementation of their national financial inclusion policy commitments. Grants may be used in various ways to ensure the realization of policy objectives that have a high impact in advancing the access, usage and quality of financial services to the underbanked. AFI reviews grant proposals in view of this direct impact. AFI grants can provide member institutions with the necessary funds to develop and test innovative policy approaches, facilitate learning exchanges on policies that have been successfully implemented elsewhere or receive consulting support from experts to further in-country policy development. To be eligible to apply for an AFI grant, the member institution must:

Be a principal member of the AFI network and be on time with the payment of its membership fee

Have a grant topic that is aligned with AFI’s priority, and guidance issued by the AFI network

Have a Maya Declaration Commitment that the requested grant will help achieve or a nationally recognized commitment (such as A NFIS)

Ensure that a separate AFI grant is not currently ongoing (principal members can apply for a new AFI grant only after the previous grant awarded has been closed)

To learn more or apply for a policy grant, please contact our team at ICISupport@afi-global.org

ICI Technical Support

Technical support includes various AFI support services to member institutions, specifically focusing on: policy/regulation drafting services, policy reviews or providing input on members’ financial inclusion policies, strategies or regulatory tools. Technical support also includes conducting technical on-site capacity building trainings for implementing regulatory and/or supervisory tools, providing technical input for member workshops or seminars and conducting technical policy advisory programs.

Technical support services may be provided on-site (at a member’s institution) or off-site (at AFI’s HQ or its regional offices).