First Access Featured by International Finance Corporation and Boulder Institute of Microfinance
- First Access
- Dec 6, 2019
- 1 min read
Boulder Institute of Microfinance, in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank Group member, held the 4th Annual Back to Boulder event, Enhancing Strategic Relevant in Microfinance, this week in Washington, DC.
Since the program’s inception 3 years ago, it has trained 218 C-suite and other senior management professionals from 56 countries representing 218 financial institutions, including many top tier Microfinance Institutions (MFIs). During 32 academic hours, participants learn from 15 renowned experts from within and outside of the microfinance community, including First Access. This week, 60 senior executives convened for the event, traveling from financial institutions in over 20 countries, ranging from Peru to Pakistan to Papua New Guinea.
First Access CEO, Nicole Van Der Tuin, spoke in a plenary session panel moderated by Momina Aijazuddin, Global Head of Microfinance at IFC, alongside Rory Macfarquhar, Senior Vice President at Mastercard, and Martin Spahr, Senior Operations Officer and MSME Specialist at IFC. The session explored insights into digital transformation for established financial institutions, including automation, change management, how financial institutions can best leverage their own data, partnerships for new customer acquisition channels, alternative and external data sources that can facilitate growth, and regulatory and financial/KYC infrastructure considerations such as the presence or absence of functional national ID systems and credit bureaus.
Photo Credit: International Finance Corporation, Boulder Institute of Microfinance.
It is impressive to see First Access contributing to such a high-level global dialogue on digital transformation. The focus on how institutions can better leverage their own data and handle change management is so critical, especially in regions where traditional credit bureaus might not be as established. I recently read a piece on https://englandderbyshire.co.uk/ about the importance of using smart technology to support local growth, and it is interesting to see that same logic applied on an international scale here. It sounds like a very productive week for everyone involved in Washington.
This was a great snapshot of how conversations around digital transformation in microfinance are actually happening at the leadership level. I like how the piece highlighted practical themes like automation, data use, and regulatory realities instead of just big buzzwords. It shows how important collaboration between institutions like IFC, Mastercard, and innovators like First Access really is. I recently came across a discussion on England & Derbyshire Solicitors about financial inclusion efforts in different regions, and it echoed that same focus on using data smartly to expand access. Events like this feel essential for pushing the sector forward in a meaningful way.
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