Dear RFILC members,

Our October’s insight issue will start by focusing on the latest publication from the Rural Finance Best Practices Project (RuFBeP) by the Asia-Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA) and IFAD on how information and communication technology (ITC) networks in China and India make the agricultural value chain significantly more efficient. This document spotlights how Nxin Internet Technology Co. Ltd. and Ant Financial have developed ICT interventions to the Chinese agricultural value chains. It also highlights the role of technological platform SourceTrace and National Collateral Management Services Ltd. (NCML), a collateral management company in India in supporting smallholder farmers to improve their participation in value chain development.

Secondly, the 6th World Congress on Rural and Agricultural Finance (12-13 November 2019, New Delhi, India) will also be able to provide pathways to all stakeholders for extending improved and efficient financial services to rural and agricultural sectors.  Through a multi-disciplinary approach, the congress will aim to address the opportunities, gaps and priority actions for developing sustainable and viable financial services and investments with actionable insights on rural financial services as a viable business strategy and as a meaningful contribution to the inclusive growth across the globe.

Additional guidance is also available from the Centre for Financial Inclusion at Accion (CFI) and DLA Piper/New Perimeter, which produced a “Handbook on Consumer Protection for Inclusive Finance.” The publication is a practical resource for regulators and policymakers on effective legal and regulatory frameworks to protect low-income consumers. It expands upon a previous document, the “Client Protection Principles: Model Law and Commentary for Financial Consumer Protection (Model Legal Framework),” to reflect updated digital credit standards from the Smart Campaign. It also reflects on new and emerging guidance from international organizations and collaborative working groups, and consultations with a broad range of experts regarding the unique characteristics of digital finance services (DFS), with an emphasis on digital credit.

Lastly, with a view to enhancing financial service providers’ institutional policies and performance, we would like to share with you a UNCDF-led “Gender Self-Assessment Toolkit for Financial Service Providers.” The toolkit aims to increase targeted outreach to women clients through gender-sensitive products and services, as well as promoting workforce gender diversity in management and leadership.

With best regards,
The RFILC Editorial Team