Asia-Pacific Forum on Financial Inclusion: Approaches, Regulations and Cross-Border Issues

This is a report on the 2012 Asia-Pacific Forum on Financial Inclusion that took place in Shanghai, China from June 25-27, 2012. It was organized by the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), and the Asia-Pacific Finance and Development Center (AFDC) in collaboration with the Foundation for Development Cooperation (FDC), the Banking with the Poor Network (BWTP), and the China Association of Microfinance (CAM). The main themes discussed at the Forum included financial literacy, financial identity, microfinance regulation, consumer protection, and remittances. Forum participants discussed these themes within the context of addressing critical issues which are hindering efforts to achieve greater financial inclusion in the region. The forum:

• Provided an opportunity for policy dialog on expanding new channels to serve the financial needs of the unbanked;
• Explored ways in which Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and member nations can harness regional public-private cooperation to promote sustainability and expansion of undertakings using these new channels;
• Provided a platform for capacity building to help policy makers and regulators address issues for expanding financial services to micro, small, and medium enterprises.