On 25 April, to mark Arab Financial Inclusion Day, AFI’s Arab Region Financial Inclusion Policy Initiative (ARFIPI) held its first regional webinar, exploring the potential of instant payments and cross-border payments to drive financial inclusion.

“Fast-payment systems, combined with a supportive and enabling environment, have the potential to expand financial services accessibility and to enhance their convenience. They can contribute to faster digitalization, especially of G2P payments, and support social aid which benefits vulnerable populations,” said Ibtissam El Anzaoui, Head of Financial inclusion at Bank Al Maghrib, and Chair of ARFIPI’s Expert Group.

“For AFI’s eleven member institutions from the Arab region, digital financial services are a top priority area for policy development,” explained Katia Mehanneche​, AFI’s Arab Region Regional Manager. “ARFIPI was created to allow peer exchange on common financial inclusion challenges and to support the development of sound policies. Webinars such as this are a great way to share challenges, to hear what is working, and to advance together.”

You can learn more about AFI’s Arab Region  Financial Inclusion Policy Initiative here.