AFI will launch its inaugural AFI Policy Award at the 2014 Global Policy Forum (GPF) in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in order to illustrate and promote successful financial inclusion polices within the AFI Network.

The AFI Policy Award will be held annually as part of the broader AFI Awards at the GPF to celebrate AFI member institutions that have enacted innovative policies with demonstrable real impact on financial inclusion.

There will be three nominees and one award recipient decided upon by the AFI Steering Committee. Eligible policies can come from the seven AFI policy areas, however they are not limited to thematic restrictions.

Considerations that will guide the selection committee in the application of their judgment to choose the three nominees and ultimately the winner are primarily related to financial inclusion policies’ innovation and impact.

Judges will analyze which policy has had the biggest impact by the importance of the problem addressed by the policy, whether the policy impacted a large percentage of the nation’s population and geographical area, if the policy possesses the potential to be applicable in other nations as well as lend itself to integration within AFI’s peer learning services, and whether the policy achieved its impact while maintaining safety and soundness in line with domestic and international standards.

Meanwhile, in pursuit of the most innovative, focus will be on policies that tackle a new problem or respond to an existing problem in a new and improved fashion. Innovative policies include those that utilize technological advances, organizational choices or political experimentation.

The nomination process is currently open until 15 July 2014. More details:

• Nominations can come from any individual or organization;
• Nominees must be a current member AFI;
• Nominees must have implemented or initiated a successful financial inclusion policy;
• Nomination applications should include the name of the institution, the policy and a short justification ideally with a verifiable reference to data on the policies impact; and
• Nominations can be submitted via email to afiawards@afi-global.org.