In this year's Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) – Global Policy Forum, attended by over 700 participants from member countries, a consensus emerged on the interconnected goals of stability, integrity, inclusivity, and sustainability.
As reflected in their adopted Manila Manifesto, AFI members expressed their dedication to enhancing global financial regulation, with a strong emphasis on financial inclusion and sustainability. They emphasize the need for balanced implementation of global financial standards to prevent unintended repercussions and commit to collaborating with standard-setting bodies (SSBs) such as the Financial Stability Board (FSB), advocating for gender inclusion, gathering evidence on the impact of these standards, and actively developing policy toolkits.
Our global research team at Reg/Tech Lab, led by Professor Douglas Arner from The University of Hong Kong, in partnership with Professor Dirk Zetzsche from the University of Luxembourg and Professor Ross Buckley from UNSW, has produced significant research in collaboration with the AFI Digital Financial Services Working Group and the AFI Inclusive Green Finance Working Group. Co-authors from AFI include Johanna Nyman, Laura Ramos, and Jeanette Moling. Eriks Selga from HKU Law and Roberta Consiglio, formerly Research & Development (ADA Chair) at the University of Luxembourg, also contributed to the writing, and with insights from Jaheed Parvez and Ghiyazuddin Mohammad from AFI Digital Financial Services.
The Roadmap for Inclusive Green Finance Implementation delineates six critical 'Building Blocks' necessary for a successful framework within the emerging policy priority of Inclusive Green Finance (IGF), which is actively championed by central banks and financial regulators within the AFI network.
Meanwhile, the Innovative Regulatory Approaches Toolkit is designed to assist policymakers in effectively managing the benefits and risks associated with innovation facilities to advance financial inclusion and achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
AFI is a policy leadership alliance owned and led by over 80 member central banks and financial regulatory institutions.
These two papers are listed in the 'Digital Finance, Financial Inclusion and Sustainability' page: https://www.hkufintech.com/fintech-sustainability