Financial inclusion and its role in economic development was highlighted at the G20 meetings in 2017 and again in 2018. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been shown to account for the creation of significant numbers of new jobs, but an estimated two billion people around the world lack access to an account for even the most basic financial transactions, such as making deposits and receiving payments. The world clearly needs an innovative way to democratize finance, and we maintain that fintech can help expand access to finance and equalize opportunities. 

SME Finance Forum CEO, Matthew Gamser, joined a WBAF panel called “Increasing the Role of Fintechs for Financial Inclusion: Creating an Innovation Ecosystem to Explore Innovations in Financial Technology for Democratizing Access to Finance Worldwide,” which focused on ways to create an innovation ecosystem that will democratize access to finance globally.

Moderator          
Matthew Gamser, Chief Executive Officer, SME Finance Forum - IFC, USA

Panelists
Mohamed Fetah Krichene, General Manager, Sfax Technopark, Tunisia
Serkan Fergan, Digital Banking Group Director, TEB BNP Paribas, Turkey
Thomas Dübendorfer, President at Swiss ICT Investor Club (SICTIC), Switzerland