Empowering Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises through Islamic Finance

ADB’s Asghar Ali Syed from the Office of the General Counsel shares how participation in ADB’s Islamic Finance Working Group can contribute to the task of helping Muslims residing in developing member countries gain access to finance. ADB, as the premier financial institution within Asia and the Pacific, should consider how Islamic finance can help develop the sector and ensure it can help lift people from the region out of poverty.

This video covers the full session of Insight Thursday, ADB’s in-house knowledge sharing series.

Empowering Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises through Islamic Finance

ADB's Asghar Ali Syed from the Office of the General Counsel discussed how micro, small, and medium enterprises' access to financial services can be increased through Islamic finance in ADB's operations. He provided examples on how improving access to financial services can bring real and positive change into the lives of low-income households.

This event is part of ADB's in-house Insight Thursday lecture series.​

Deploying Mobile and Branchless Banking in Bhutan

An ADB project is helping Bhutan promote financial literacy and strengthen financial inclusion by supporting mobile and branchless banking.

In line with the government's priority under the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2013–2018) to improve the business climate for the private sector, the Strengthening Economic Management Program II (SEMP II) identified the possibility of high impact mobile and branchless banking that extends the reach of financial services to remote areas.

Keynote Speech of Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala - Forum on Promoting Remittance for Development Finance

In his keynote address, businessman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala acknowledges the long-term value and positive effects of remittances to our country, citing that in the past decade, remittances have grown at a yearly average of 10%. This growth needs to be supported and sustained through strategies such as financially inclusive products, services, and innovations that can help channel remittances into the economy. He details examples of these products and innovations in his keynote speech.

Remittances and Financial Inclusion: A Policy and Regulatory Approach

The volume of remittance inflows in the Philippines continues to grow. In 2014, remittances channeled through the banking system reached US$24.3 billion, or 8.5% of the country's gross domestic product. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) sees this is an opportunity for inclusive growth. It has fostered financial inclusion through policy initiatives that enable more Filipinos to gain effective access to a wide range of financial services that could help them manage unforeseen financial shocks and increase their savings and investments.

Closing Remarks - Financial Inclusion in the Digital Economy

In his closing remarks at this conference, Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s Diwakar Gupta stressed that (i) public private partnerships are vital for digital financial services to reduce costs to government; (ii) development in digital finance can expand financial services for the poor and build financial security; and (iii) ADB must find its niche as an enabler, targeting financial technology developmental players.