The globally acknowledged standard setting body for anti-money laundering and the fight against terrorist financing, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has only recently acknowledged that financial inclusion and financial integrity (i.e. the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing) are complementary public policy aims. This has led to a new FATF work stream on financial inclusion which is seeking views from the industry on how to best achieve these complimentary policy aims.

The Alliance of Financial Inclusion (AFI) is a newly established organisation aimed at enabling 50 million people living on less than $2 a day to have access to formal financial services by 2012. AFI is managed by GTZ and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Its members are central banks and other policy making bodies in developing countries. AFI’s first annual Forum took place in Nairobi, 14-16 September 2009, and was co-hosted by the Central Bank of Kenya. Click to view highlights from the event.

UPDATED: On 1st July 2009, a new Amendment Act to RICA (the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act) comes into effect. The Act is intended to assist law enforcement agencies with tracing criminals where mobile phones are used to commit major crimes; however, this new regulatory requirement has had the unintended consequence of making it more difficult for customers to register for mobile services, including mobile money.

The first annual Mobile Money Leadership Forum was held in Barcelona on 25 June, 2009. To our knowledge this was the first event of this size designed to promote dialogue between financial regulators and the mobile industry. The event was attended by over 70 participants from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

In my opening remarks, I emphasized that “we don’t have to agree, but we can all listen to one another”. What followed was a great deal of productive dialogue. The group took advantage of this unique opportunity to pursue their curiosity about the topic of mobile money and engage in some frank and open discussions. There were are a few key themes and statements that I would like to highlight from the discussion.

Marina Solin examines South Africa’s AML/KYC regulation, which provides a good example of the principal of proportionality being applied while allowing for a good mobile experience for customers. As regulators and mobile money providers review the article, consider the following question: which elements of South Africa’s AML/KYC solution can other countries replicate?

David Porteous introduces the key dimensions of a regulatory environment – openness and certainty – and illustrates the concept by plotting four countries that are active in mobile banking. As regulators and mobile money providers review the article, consider the following question: what is the right balance between openness and certainty and how can regulators find it?