AFI's Ilya Sverdlov and his team in Luxembourg;
The European Representative Office of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) is now complete and fully operating from Luxembourg where it is led by Ilya Sverdlov, its staff having relocated from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
It has been six months since the AFI launched its European Office in Luxembourg - co-hosted by Luxembourg Finance and International Cooperation ministries; Now, six months later, in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, its European team is fully on the ground in Luxembourg, having moved from Kuala Lumpur.
Over the past six months, AFI representatives have spoken at the World Economic Forum, organised a FinTech Showcase in cooperation with the LhOFT, participated in the European Microfinance Week, and opened a conference on Inclusive and Sustainable Finance Research at the University of Luxembourg, with its work on Inclusive Green Finance. the AFI has engaged with the Luxembourg's finalcial regulator (the CSSF), EDB and EBRD on topics of convergence for developed and developing countries, such as digital financial services, inclusive green finance and gender inclusive finance. It also organised its traditional annual capacity-building event with the Bank of Portugal.
Even though much of the continent is under lockdown, having its office at the heart of Europe has been beneficial to both engage with a variety of European stakeholders, and also support the implementation of inclusive finance policies and regulations in countries along the EU’s periphery, as well as the broader AFI network which spans Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Africa, the Arab Region and Latin America.
AFI’s current members include 100 policymaking and regulatory authorities from 88 developing and emerging economies, primarily central banks. Many of its members have put in place innovative financial inclusion policies and regulations, especially as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, members have reported developing and implementing 137 policy and regulatory changes to enhance financial inclusion in their respective countries. It expects the impressive innovation trajectory to continue as AFI members focus on ensuring a sustainable and truly inclusive post-Pandemic recovery during the coming period. This momentum has created strong peer learning opportunities with policymakers in Luxembourg and broader Europe.
AFI’s headquarters are in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Africa Regional Office in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. AFI is headed by Executive Director Dr. Alfred Hannig who has overseen the growth of the organisation into a global network of 100 institutions.
