The fifth meeting of AFI’s Mobile Financial Services Working Group (MFSWG) is underway in Moscow, Russia and will run from 11-13 April. With Russia set to take over the presidency of the G20 in 2013, the meeting is supported by the Russian co-chair of the G-20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI).

The event kicked off on Wednesday 11 April, with a gala dinner and welcome remarks by Dr. Anna Zelentsova of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, Co-chair of the G20 GPFI .

Thursday will commence with additional opening remarks, followed with a presentation by Raymond O. Estioko, Deputy Director and Head, Core Information Technology Specialist Group, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and MFSWG Chair, in which he will discuss a report on the MFSWG’s activities to date.

Thursday’s core activities will include presentations and follow-up discussion on Technical Guideline Notes as well as Financial Inclusion Data and Measurement. Looking to the future, two new MFSWG topics—cross-border remittances and consumer protection—will be introduced and the next steps regarding their integration into existing working group focus areas and activities delineated.

Friday will feature a Fish Bowl discussion further examining the topic of cross-border remittances, and a discussion of emerging business models and products within the realm of mobile financial services. On Friday evening, a series of MFSWG member-only presentations will close the meeting.