A Partnership for Responsible Financial Inclusion
A meeting of the Partnership for Responsible Financial Inclusion in September 2017 (pictured from left to right: Shameran Abed, Jesse Fripp , Steve Hollingworth, Maria Cavalcanti, Michael Schlein, Sharlene Brown, Rupert Scofield and Robert Dunn. Not pictured: Christian Pennotti, Mary Ellen Iskenderian and Michael Mithika)
In 2011, I joined the inaugural meeting of CEOs that led to the formation of the Microfinance CEO Working Group. Nearly seven years later, my colleagues and I, have continued to enjoy the trust and collaboration made possible by sitting together and sharing our strategies, challenges, and opportunities. We have encouraged the sharing of information among key senior staff in seven departments such as risk management, social performance, digital financial services, across our networks. This collective of senior managers, which we refer to as peer groups, find the conversations at their levels insightful and allows for greater efficiency at solving common problems. In some cases, members benefit from non-proprietary work and processes developed by another. In other cases, we are creating the solutions together.
Today, we truly recognize that we are no longer a working group, but a strong partnership committed to advancing financial inclusion in a responsible manner. It is my pleasure to share our new name: Partnership for Responsible Financial Inclusion (PRFI).
As the PRFI, we are committed to the acceleration of financial inclusion by leveraging our joint expertise in the advocacy and delivery of innovative, scalable, and responsible financial services for poor and low income clients. We want to continue to engage with broad groups of stakeholders that understand our objectives and would like to be a voice or partner in our community. If you are interested in joining a future meeting of the PRFI, let us know.
The Partnership for Responsible Financial Inclusion (PRFI) is a collaborative effort of leading international organizations: Accion, Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance, BRAC, CARE, FINCA, Grameen Foundation, Opportunity International, Pro Mujer, VisionFund International, and Women’s World Banking. The members and their 260+ local partners work with more than 89 million clients in 87 countries. Harnessing the power of the CEOs and their senior managers, the PRFI advocates for responsible financial services and seeks catalytic opportunities to accelerate financial access to the unserved.
Originally posted on the PRFI blog.
