Washington, D.C. – During the first part of September, Microfinance International Corporation’s (MFIC) President, Atsumasa Tochisako, participated as a panelist at two premier financial inclusion forums, the Asia-Pacific Financial Inclusion Forum in Tokyo, Japan and the World Economic Forum in Dalian, China.

Discussions at both events focused on expanding the reach of financial inclusion efforts and securing a balanced growth of the global economy through the application of innovative, entrepreneurial and sustainable tactics. Tochisako contributed invaluable insights gained from his extensive and substantial career in the financial industry.

“I was honored to be invited to participate as a panelist at both of these forums,” said Tochisako. “It is imperative that world leaders and innovative industry thinkers come together frequently to find feasible solutions to the problems that afflict the financial sector. More than two billion people around the world lack access to formal financial services. In my eyes, this is unacceptable. The conscientious application of advanced information and financial technology would make it possible to provide financial services to the world’s unbanked.”

The Asia-Pacific Financial Inclusion Forum was attended by central bankers, government officials and NGOs from APEC countries. Key officials and institutions will use the conclusions reached at the forum to influence and shape policy recommendations that promote and expand financial access for households and enterprises around the world. The World Economic Forum brought together more than 1,500 industry, government, technology and civil society leaders from 80 countries.

Financial inclusion first emerged as an agenda point at the G20 Pittsburgh Summit in 2009. The G20’s principles that have been guiding the expansion of financial inclusion include: leadership and broad based government commitment to financial inclusion, diversity in the services delivered and the range of service providers and innovation in the use of technology and institutional approaches. In addition to the G20, the topic of financial inclusion has attracted the attention of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, European Union, International Finance Corporation and many other global organizations engaged in economic growth and poverty reduction.    

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MFIC is a Washington, D.C. based company that aims to expand affordable and professional financial services to markets where such services have previously been unavailable or overpriced. The company offers a line of products and services, including ARIAS, a money transfer solution that enables financial institutions and payment providers to offer competitive remittance services. ARIAS provides “account-to-receiver” service for the FEDGlobal ACH payment. MFIC also operates Alante Financial, a financial service center targeted toward unbanked immigrants that helps remittance senders and receivers enhance their economic wellbeing.