This webinar is hosted by the Technology Working Group of the Women’s Financial Inclusion Community of Practice (WFI COP). The webinar will focus on Strategic Impact Advisor’s (SIA) soon to be launched paper on trust, which has been identified as one of the key enablers to women’s active use of digital financial services.

The panelists will outline USAID’s current efforts on this important theme, and provide an overview of the trust paper. They will discuss a proposed set of five trust attributes to improve women’s perception of digital financial services (DFS) and encourage greater product usage.

Speakers

Fernando Maldonado

Institution: USAID

Fernando Maldonado leads the digital finance practice at USAID in support of inclusive digital financial services infrastructure in developing markets. He leads a portfolio consisting of public-private partnerships, global alliances, and technical engagements with USAID missions in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Prior to joining USAID Fernando managed and provided technical assistance to a number of market strengthening and economic empowerment projects and programs around the globe, serving the most vulnerable, at-risk and economically marginalized populations.

Shelley Spencer

Institution: Strategic Impact Advisors

Shelley Spencer is the CEO of Strategic Impact Advisors (SIA), a boutique consulting firm that specializes in providing technical consulting on the use of mobile technology for development including digital payments, financial inclusion and a regional economic impact practice. In that role, she also serves as Project Director for NetHope, Inc.’s payment innovation team. Shelley started her career practicing telecommunications regulatory law in Washington, D.C. in the 1990s. She landed in the mobile space and became an accidental entrepreneur founding several successful mobile companies. Shelley’s dream is to see digital payments become the bridge to financial inclusion for the 1.5 billion in the world without a bank account.

Mandana Nakhai

Institution: Strategic Impact Advisors

Mandana Nakhai has five years of experience advancing international economic development and cross-cultural exchange programs. At Strategic Impact Advisors she works on research and analysis, program management, M&E and operations and has contributed to SIA's work in digital financial services, agricultural finance, gender and mobile money agent networks. She is passionate about the intersections of digital technology, access to financial services and sustainable and regenerative development. Prior to joining SIA, Mandana was a monitoring and evaluation advisor at ACDI/VOCA’s DC headquarters and a research consultant at Accion’s Center for Financial Inclusion in Bangalore, India.

Catherine Highet (Moderator)

Institution: CGAP

Catherine Highet leads the technology working group in CGAP's Women's Financial Inclusion CoP. Prior to this role, she worked with the GSMA Connected Women program and FHI 360, focusing on digital inclusion activities, including DFS, digital identity and gender equality. Catherine has also consulted for several digital development partners in the public and private sector including IREX, Mozilla and Souktel.