Has financial inclusion enabled economic opportunity?

Has financial inclusion enabled economic opportunity?

Stemming from the early days of microfinance, financial inclusion has been understood partly as a catalyst for inclusive growth, enabling households and firms to participate more effectively in the economy.

This session looked at the extent to which Kenya’s financial sector has supported economic opportunity for Kenyans. See presentations by FinMark Trust (Bobby Berkowitz, Tabitha Mwangi and Carol Matiko) on Kenya’s digital finance revolution and rise and decline in welfare and jobs between 2005-2021; a window into the unmet financial needs of Kenya’s key economic segments with a focus on micro firms and urban casual workers by Jess Robey, 71 point 4; and Tabitha Mwangi of KNBS describing how the Covid-19 MSE Tracker survey helps to explain the declining resilience of MSEs between 2019 and 2021.

Peter Njuguna, CEO of SASRA and Ndiritu Muriithi, former Laikipia governor, reflect on these issues in a panel discussion moderated by FSD Kenya’s Senior Economist, Anzetse Were.