Financial Access in the 21st Century

Conference addressing microfinance and exclusion, Feb 11th, Washington DC.

Defining the Market

• Characterizing the Nonbanked Population;
• Immigrants and Foreign Remittances;
• Savings and Insurance for Short-Term Emergencies and Long-Term Goals;
• What More Needs To Be Known?

Formal and Informal Financial Services,Identifying Barriers to Serving the Nonbanked

• Perceived and Actual Barriers to Serving the Nonbanked;
• Standardizing or Customizing Financial Delivery Channels;
• Financial Service Design and Customer Service;
• Partnerships Between Banks and Nonbanks in Serving the Nonbanked;
• Effect of Government Policies on Serving the Nonbanked.

Mandatory EFT (electronic fund transfer and electronic benefit payments) and Reflections on Issues Related to Mandatory EFT'99, Expanding Access through Technology

• New Technologies to Reach the Nonbanked;
• Consumer Attitudes Toward Technology;
• The Role of Consumer Education.