This week the Banco Central do Brasil kicked off its Financial Inclusion International Week (IWFI) in Brasilia, playing host to four delegations from across the AFI Network. Representatives from the Reserve Bank of Malawi, the Bank of Tanzania, the Central Bank of Swaziland and the Banque Centrale du Congo (Central Bank of the Congo) were on hand for the opening ceremonies and will be taking part in extensive financial inclusion knowledge sharing sessions during the week.

The IWFI, a joint program of Banco Central do Brasil (BCB) and AFI, provides a platform for policymakers to meet and share common experiences, identify policy challenges, and look for opportunities for future financial inclusion projects. BCB is currently a well-established regional and global leader in areas such as agent banking and financial education after a long history of overcoming policy challenges and difficulties. Through the IWFI, BCB hopes that the key lessons from its financial inclusion journey can serve as a valuable resource for AFI members exploring similar policy options and will provide a good start point for a broader ‘polylateral’ exchange of ideas and lessons from all participants.

In his opening speech, BCB Deputy Governor Luiz Feltrim welcomed all participants as part of the “AFI family.” He described his nation’s financial inclusion journey as a kind of “economic evolution,” with a clear focus on the connection between smart policymaking, education and economic stability. Deputy Gov. Feltrim celebrated the spirit of the AFI Network, both as a professional organization and as a group of like-minded peers, indicating that IWFI was an opportunity for everyone to teach and learn.

AFI’s regional representative, Carlos Moya, gave special thanks to BCB for championing the IWFI, noting that such peer learning efforts were “the embodiment of everything the AFI Network stands for…” and would play a key role in the Network’s future as an independent organization. Moya indicated this event was a first, but that similar AFI member events on other financial inclusion issues, and in other regions, were expected: “I am confident that these capacity building efforts and events will quickly become one the cornerstones of our peer learning and knowledge sharing Network.”

Moya’s prediction is already on the way to becoming reality, with the IWFI scheduled to take place again next year and five AFI member institutions already confirmed as participants.

This week’s IWFI program will run until 5 December.