Time of event
09:00–17:30
Background
Improving access to financial services such as savings, credit, investment, insurance, and retirement products in Asia and the Pacific could boost living standards for millions of people as well as innovative startups and small businesses vital to sustainable growth in the region. Realizing these benefits hinges on lowering barriers to the availability of quality, low-cost financial services in urban and rural areas, including poorer areas considered less profitable by banks and other financial institutions.
To fully capitalize on increased access to financial services in Asia and the Pacific will require tackling low levels of financial literacy among its emerging economies. This could avert undesirable behaviors like inadequate saving, excessive borrowing at high interest rates, and inadequate financial record keeping by small and medium-sized enterprises. The move toward defined-contribution pension schemes in the region further raises the importance of enhancing financial education, especially for vulnerable populations.
The growth of financial technologies, or fintech, across Asia and the Pacific is also disrupting commercial and retail banks’ traditional approaches to deposits and lending, pressuring them to find ways to meet surging demand for digital services.
The 2019 ADBI Annual Conference will bring together policy makers, researchers, and industry practitioners to explore the potential for fintech to promote financial inclusion and literacy in the region. The proceedings will detail keys to strengthening financial services access for households and small firms via fintech, financial education, and risk reduction as consumer demand grows in the digital marketplace.
Objectives
- To share and assess financial inclusion, literacy, and technology experiences and lessons learned in Asia and the Pacific
- To examine the latest research findings on harnessing fintech to meet changing financial services product demand in the region
- To facilitate the adoption of policies that promote viable, innovative, and impactful fintech-based financial inclusion and literacy solutions.
Participants
Policy makers, researchers, and industry practitioners
Output
- Capacity building support for the application of fintech to drive financial inclusion and literacy in Asia and the Pacific
- Research papers for publication as ADBI policy briefs or working papers as well as possible inclusion in an ADBI book.
How to register
General delegate registration is now closed.
Requests for media registration and related questions should be directed to:
David Hendrickson, ADBI (International/English Media)
[email protected] | Mobile/WhatsApp/LINE: +81 80 7361 5707
Yukifumi Takeuchi, ADBI (Japanese Media)
[email protected] | Mobile/LINE: +81 +81 80 5686 2824
Venue
Click here for ADBI’s address and directions.