Page 2 - FIGI Symposium

FINANCIAL INCLUSION GLOBAL INITIATIVE (FIGI) SYMPOSIUM
22-24 January 2019
Cairo, Egypt

The Financial Inclusion Global Initiative (FIGI) is a joint project by the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU), the World Bank Group (WBG) and the Committee on
Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI), with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation and was launched in July 2017. FIGI’s main objectives are to support and
accelerate the implementation of country-led reform actions in developing and emerging
markets to better utilize the potential of digital technologies to meet national financial
inclusion targets, and ultimately the global ‘Universal Financial Access 2020’ goal.

The theme of the second edition of the FIGI Symposium, hosted by the National
Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (NTRA) of Egypt is Enabling an Inclusive DFS
Ecosystem: National and Thematic Insights. Throughout three days of workshops,
discussion panels and capacity building sessions, we will highlight the innovative role that
financial services and ICT regulators and private enterprises can each bring to enhance
financial inclusion efforts and to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals to reduce poverty and promote gender equality in financial inclusion.

The FIGI Symposium aims to:

• provide a unique platform for regulators, policymakers and DFS experts to share
lessons learned about the different digital financial models and services, the regulatory
sandbox approach, ways to mitigate risks in fast changing ICT and digital payment en-
vironments, and the impact of emerging technologies on the ecosystem;

• showcase digital financial inclusion initiatives and innovations taking place at the
international level; and

• provide thought leadership on digital financial inclusion strategies and technological
innovations in the area of DFS.

The FIGI Symposium will be attended by more than 200 stakeholders in the DFS
ecosystem including telecom and financial services regulators, central banks, mobile
network operators, policymakers, payment system providers, standard setting bodies,
international organizations and the fintech community.

The day prior to the event, on 21 January 2019, is dedicated to FIGI working group member
meetings (see more information below) and the FIGI Hackathon. The FIGI Symposium
is open to all participants and feature a series of panels and workshops on the working
group activities and thematic areas, which are essential for digital financial inclusion. The
Symposium also offers a unique networking opportunity with the different stakeholders
and players in the DFS ecosystem.

FIGI Hackathon

FIGI Hackathon will take place on 21-22 January 2019 at the same venue as the Symposium.
The Hackathon is open to start-ups based in Egypt and in the ITU Arab States Region. The
main objective of the hackathon is to provide a platform for innovative start-ups to demonstrate
solutions addressing pre-defined problem statements relevant to bridging the financial
inclusion gap.

FIGI Symposium 2019