The Key Ingredient to Inclusive Technology Design: Humanity

Fiw Topics

AI
Digital Financial Services

Fiw Year

2024

Transcripts:

English

Spanish

French

Summary + Key Insights

The discussion centers on the importance of human-centered design in inclusive technology, particularly in financial services for vulnerable populations.

🌟 Empowering Communities: Inclusive technology fosters empowerment by ensuring that solutions are tailored to the specific needs of users, promoting financial literacy and access.

💻 Technology as an Enabler: Tools like the Dream Save app exemplify how tech can streamline processes, making financial services more accessible to marginalized groups.

📈 Impact of Generative AI: The integration of AI in farming advice enhances productivity and resilience among smallholder farmers by providing instant support and guidance.

🔍 Risk Management: Addressing data privacy concerns is crucial for building trust; users must feel secure in sharing their information.

📅 Sustainability of Solutions: Ensuring the longevity and reliability of technology is vital; partnerships with established organizations can provide necessary backing.

🎉 User Engagement: Positive user experiences, such as gamification features, can increase adoption and satisfaction with technological solutions.

🤝 Collaboration is Key: Working alongside local organizations and users ensures that technology is not only effective but also culturally relevant and sustainable.

This session summary was AI-generated using NoteGPT.

Rapidly emerging, high-tech solutions are helping us breakthrough barriers to bring financial inclusion to excluded populations living in poverty. In the years ahead, these advances and an expanding digitization of analogue techniques will grow at rapid rates, with its possibilities for impact limited to only our own imaginations. The real question is, what will be the most effective, the most impactful interventions? To determine this, we need input – human input.

Opportunity International, VisionFund International and DreamStart Labs have each been on a journey to use human-centered design processes to develop and leverage technology to facilitate financial inclusion and strengthen resilient livelihoods for excluded populations. This fireside chat will share valuable insights about how these anti-poverty organizations are developing AI and other digital interventions that recognize the challenges, strengths, and goals of the people they serve – detailing their processes that lead us from ideation to actualization.

Session Speakers

Dr. William Derban

Head of Programs and Partnerships, Digital Innovation Group, Opportunity International

Dr. William Derban is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in financial inclusion. As the Head of Programs and Partnerships at Opportunity International’s Digital Innovation Group, he leads the development of digital solutions that uplift those in poverty. His work involves collaborating with banks, fintechs, and NGOs to drive impactful innovations. Previously, Dr. Derban was the Market Engagement Director at GSMA’s Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation program, and at Fidelity Bank Ghana, he pioneered the country’s first agent banking network. He also led financial inclusion initiatives at Barclays Bank across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Dr. Derban co-founded the Financial Inclusion Forum Africa and the MT4D conference. His work has shaped key policies in Ghana, including the Financial Inclusion and Development Strategy. Throughout his career, he has been dedicated to improving financial access for underserved communities.

Henrik Esbensen, PhD

CTO, DreamStart Labs

Henrik is a seasoned Silicon Valley veteran with 20+ years of experience building advanced software systems with a focus on machine learning, data analytics and deep learning neural networks. He holds a PhD in computer science and did post-doctoral studies at UC Berkeley in advanced optimization algorithms. Henrik is passionate about using technology for poverty alleviation and he co-founded the fintech company DreamStart Labs in 2016 with the late Wes Wasson where he now serves as CTO. DreamStart Labs provides the DreamSave platform which is a leading solution for digitizing savings groups.

Lisa Kuhn

Inclusive Finance Knowledge Director, VisionFund International

Lisa Kuhn is the Inclusive Finance Knowledge Director for VisionFund International. She is a social impact professional with 25 years’ experience in multi-sectoral and sustainable solutions to development challenges. Prior to joining VisionFund, she had a consulting practice focused on social performance management and helping organizations deliver more effectively on their missions. She served as Executive Director for the Foundation for Sustainable Development, an organization focused on asset-based community development. She has held a number of technical, policy, and leadership positions in microfinance networks including Freedom from Hunger, Opportunity International, and FINCA International.

Mary Pat McVay

Senior Research and Knowledge Manager, Opportunity International

Mary Pat has 35 years of experience in microenterprise development primarily in Africa and mainly in the role of researcher and facilitator of peer-to-peer learning. In her ten years with Opportunity International, Mary Pat has led action-research on digital innovations for financial inclusion. These include enhanced outreach to small-balance savers in both urban and rural areas in Ghana and Uganda through interactive voice response (IVR) messaging; training and mentorship of female banking agents (correspondent bankers) in India as well as gender training for both male and female agents; an AI app to help farmer extension agents access agricultural information to support smallholder farmers; and, digitization of savings group financial records. Mary Pat also supports Opportunity’s Collaboration Laboratory innovation process by developing client personas and tools for documenting the effectiveness of their AI innovations to transform client lives.

FIW Resources

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Hosted annually by the Center for Financial Inclusion, FIW brings together global leaders to exchange ideas, share research, and offer perspectives to inform the future of inclusive finance.

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