“Many of the smartest and most innovative policies for increasing access to formal financial services have come from developing countries — those living with the challenges of financial inclusion every day.”
– Prof Njuguna Ndung’u and Dr. Alfred Hannig, the 2009 AFI GPF Report.
In one decade, we have evolved from being a fully donor-funded project to being a member-driven, member-owned network widely considered to be the world’s leading organization for financial inclusion policy. AFI’s impact on financial inclusion is undeniable. To date, member institutions have implemented 384 policy and regulatory reforms to advance financial inclusion. We can confidently state that efforts undertaken through the AFI network have resulted in over 600 million people being brought into the financial system.
AFI has been bringing smart policies to life for 10 years now, and the journey thus far merits reflection and celebration. In this 10th anniversary publication, we aim to give the AFI community—those already familiar with the myriad details of the organization—a chance to step back and appreciate the big picture. At the same time, we hope to offer general readers a glimpse of how AFI came to be, and more importantly, an understanding of its relevance.