Under the Patronage of
His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein

After three years, since the last Global Policy Forum (GPF) gathering in Kigali, Rwanda in 2019, AFI members, together with partners and stakeholders, will meet physically at the Dead Sea, Jordan. The Central Bank of Jordan and AFI are co-hosting the 2022 AFI GPF, organized from 5 to 8 September at the Dead Sea, Jordan, a country known for its unparalleled hospitality and rich history.

The AFI GPF 2020-2022 will bring together a wide variety of voices and perspectives of members, partners, and global stakeholders on financial inclusion beyond the pandemic. This year’s deliberation is part of the continued efforts to devise and implement smart, holistic, and robust financial inclusion policies and regulations that ignite inclusive and sustainable economic growth and encourage financial stability and integrity.

HOST

Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) is one of the leaders in the Arab region and in the AFI network and has pioneered innovative financial inclusion policies that have increased economic growth, decreased poverty and inequality, improved financial and social well-being, and contributed to financial stability. Innovative financial inclusion policies have empowered the unbanked, underserved, and low-income segments, including FDPs, women, youth, disabled people, and MSMEs. These policies enabled them to contribute to and profit from a more equal and sustainable development.

By 2022, according to the CBJ Diagnostic Study 2022 the National Financial Inclusion Strategy achieved 43.1% financial inclusion in Jordan up from 33.1 percent in 2017 when it was launched, and reduced 22% the gender gap, measured by account owners down from 53% in 2017Also, in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2020 Report, Jordan rated 4th in credit index, up from 134 in 2019.

Building on this achievement, the CBJ is now developing a new National Financial Inclusion Strategy (2023–2025). It will focus on the financial services (Credit, Payment, Saving, and Insurance) as main pillars, and a group of cross-cutting enablers that are interconnected and support each pillar in enhancing financial inclusion.

Also, CBJ had worked closely with its stakeholders to develop the “National Payments Strategy (2023-2025)” which is expected to be launched this year, to set in place appropriate policy actions that will boost the usage and acceptance of digital payment in the country while considering the local gaps and challenges.

Moreover, together with international partners and stakeholders, the CBJ is developing a “Green Finance Strategy”, a road map that prioritizes green investment over business-as-usual investments. The Strategy is considering the inclusion of climate change risks in banks’ business models, while promoting the financial system efforts to disclose and report these risks in accordance with the international established practices.

THEME

This year’s GPF will reflect on contemporary financial regulation, which in addition to monetary and financial stability objectives, also addresses financial inclusion, inclusive and sustainable economic recovery, rebuilding societies, and ultimately sustainable growth.

We will explore the themes of financial inclusion and sustainability in four pillars:

1. Livelihood will emphasize the challenges and success stories associated with policy reforms in financial technologies (FinTech), SME finance, financial capability, and data, with an emphasis on contributions that alleviate social inequality and poverty. This pillar will examine the consumer protection measures that safeguard and defend the most vulnerable against fraud, cover responsible and inclusive finance, as well as digital financial services and their critical role in times of crisis. Additionally, it will emphasize the influence of financial inclusion on economic development, financial stability, and integrity through effective national and regional policies and regulations focused on inclusive growth and development.
2. Green will advance the nexus between financial inclusion and climate change, address the role of regulators in building resilience to the effects of climate change and in enabling the environmental objectives of SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and 13 (Climate Actions), as well as the implementation of the Sharm El Sheikh Accord and the Paris Agreement. It will also explore how financial inclusion can contribute both to resilience building of the most vulnerable individuals as well as how financial inclusion is a key component in the transition to a low-carbon economy.
3. Social will showcase the developments of the network in bringing financial inclusion to disproportionately excluded communities including women, FDPs and youth and how cross-cutting regulatory and policy interventions help close the gender access to finance gap, support youth engagement and FDP access This pillar will also highlight specific women focused policy responses on the global crisis and lessons policymakers can build on.
4. Innovation will focus on the fundamental importance of technology, the role played by technological innovation and its unique capability to extend financial inclusion, improve the daily lives of people toward sustainable development, economic growth, and poverty reduction.

Against the backdrop of these four pillars, the 2022 AFI GPF look ahead to the next 10 years as economies are rebuilt following economic shocks caused by the global pandemic. The 2022 AFI GPF will also showcase Jordan’s financial inclusion journey and the AFI network’s abundant and diverse experiences in implementing sustainable and pioneering financial inclusion policies, joint coordinated efforts among all players are essential to ensure we continue to increase inclusion and resilience for all.

OUR TAGLINE

The tagline of the 2022 AFI GPF, “Moving forward together: Towards a resilient, inclusive and sustainable future” aims to highlight that the network and the various stakeholders are coming together to deliberate and respond to financial inclusion goals beyond the pandemic and look forward into the future. As financial regulators and policymakers strategize to help individuals and businesses recover and prepare for future crises, we need to ensure policies and their outcomes remain resilient, inclusive, and sustainable. Moving forward and expanding greater financial inclusion can only be done together, as we face similar challenges and develop joint solutions.

OUR LOGO

Al-Khazneh (“the Treasury”) is one of the most spectacular temples and symbols of the ancient Arab Nabatean Kingdom Rose City of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the “Seven Wonders of the World”. The breathtaking Al-Khazneh and the city of Petra show the mastery of humankind over the power of nature. Located 150 miles south of Jordan’s capital Amman and at a key intersection between the Northern Levant and Arabian Peninsula, it has served as a central hub of commerce and finance for centuries. Prior to the pandemic, Petra was one of the most visited archeological sites in the world, providing significant income for the country and an opportunity to showcase its rich cultural heritage.

As the logo of the 2022 AFI GPF, the iconic Al-Khazneh represents the exceptional skills of the ancient Nabataean Arabs masons who built it, shining a spotlight on the site’s importance in supporting economies across the region and beyond. Echoing the site’s natural geology, the logo’s colors represent the red sandstone hues of the ancient structures and the golden shimmers of the sun and sand. These earthy tones are offset by shades of blue that reflect the colors of the Dead Sea as well as sustainability, symbolizing the 2022 global financial inclusion point of convergence and the 2022 AFI GPF theme.