On 19 & 20 December, AFI’s Eastern Europe & Central Asia Policy Initiative (ECAPI) held its final virtual meeting of 2024, bringing together 56 participants from nine financial regulators. 

The first day featured in-depth knowledge exchange sessions on Facilitating Financial Innovation (with speakers from the Financial Regulatory Commission of Mongolia, Central Bank of Uzbekistan and National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia) and on Islamic Finance (with speakers from AFI, National Bank of Tajikistan, Central Bank of Uzbekistan and Maldives Monetary Authority). 

On day two, Armenuhi Mkrtchyan, Chair of ECAPI’s Expert Group on Financial Inclusion Policy (EGFIP), led a discussion on the current implementation status of ECAPI’s 2024-2028 Workplan, highlighting the progress achieved on enhancing financial literacy and consumer protection, and on strengthening regional cooperation and coordination. 

The event concluded with a session on combating financial fraud, moderated by the Central Bank of Uzbekistan and featuring policy insights from the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Regulation and Development of Financial Market, and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. 

In her closing remarks, Dilbar Abduganieva, Central Bank of Uzbekistan, Vice-Chair of ECAPI’s Expert Group on Financial Inclusion Policy, highlighted the practical value of the knowledge and insights generated during the meeting, and expressed her hope that ECAPI would achieve even more in 2025. 

“This mutual learning, collaboration and support, and knowledge sharing is what makes AFI unique,” said Arif Nasibov, AFI Senior Regional Manager for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. “By listening to each other’s challenges, matching them with practical experience from across the AFI network, and learning what works in real life, we can advance financial inclusion.” 

 You can learn more about AFI’s Eastern Europe & Central Asia Policy Initiative on its website.