Moving the needle: Advancing in financial inclusion, from access to usage
- Paycode
- Mar 26
- 2 min read
Today, Paycode was proud to attend the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) Side Event, “Moving the needle: Advancing in financial inclusion, from access to usage,” co-hosted with FinMark Trust under the South African G20 Presidency. The event brought together financial inclusion leaders from across the globe to explore the next frontier: shifting from simply providing access to ensuring real usage and impact, especially for underserved populations.
The event opened with welcome remarks from Alvin Thela, Chief Director at the South African National Treasury, Prudence Ngwenya, Director at the African Union Commission, and Jürg Vollenweider, Head of the Macroeconomic Support Unit at SECO. Their remarks set the tone for a powerful day of dialogue around inclusive growth, policy innovation and collaboration.
Session 1:
Showcasing Financial Inclusion in Africa: Trends, Innovations, and Women-Centred Solutions
This session featured an insightful plenary led by Brendan Pearce, CEO of FinMark Trust, alongside Eric Massing, CEO of FSD Tanzania, Gerhardus Coetzee, Independent Consultant and former CGAP expert, and Esselina Macome, CEO of FSD Mozambique. This session spotlighted the continent’s progress and persistent gaps, with a strong emphasis on scalable, inclusive innovations that prioritise women and marginalised communities.
Session 2:
Modernising Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Payment Infrastructure to Deliver Greater Usage of Financial Services
This session brought together leading voices including Robert Karanja, Senior Director Africa at Co-Develop, Pradeep Maharaj, Chief Operating Officer of the South African Reserve Bank, Stephen Linnell, CEO of BankservAfrica, and Luis Mansur, Head of Financial Citizenship at Banco Central do Brasil. The discussion underscored the importance of robust, interoperable systems that make everyday financial transactions seamless and accessible for all.
Session 3:
Measuring Financial Inclusion with a Gender Lens in the evolving FI landscape
This session tackled the data and frameworks needed to better understand and address the unique financial needs of women. Panelists included Nomcebo Sherron Hadebe, Head of the Regional Office at AFI, Katherine Gibson, Deputy Commissioner at the FSCA, Felicia Dlamini Kunene, Deputy Governor at the Central Bank of Eswatini, and Nisha Namibar, Chief General Manager in Charge of the Financial Inclusion and Development Department at the Reserve Bank of India.
Session 4:
Customer Protection in the Age of Digital Finance: Are Controls Keeping Pace with Emerging Threats?
In this session, the panellists brought critical attention to the evolving risks facing consumers. Speakers Flore-Anne Messy, OECD G20/G7 Deputy Finance and APEC Deputy Finance; Elizabeth Gathai, Head of the Africa Region at Women’s World Banking and Magda Bianco from the Bank of Italy shared their perspectives on designing safeguards that are proactive, inclusive and responsive to the daily realities facing consumers.
As a company deeply committed to financial inclusion, Paycode remains focused on building solutions that make financial services accessible and usable wherever people are. Today’s conversations reinforced our belief that collaboration, innovation and inclusion are key to unlocking equitable financial ecosystems in Africa and beyond.
