Technological advancements have paved the way for banks and financial institutions to broaden their services globally. However, despite ongoing efforts to tackle disparities in access, systemic biases persist, including those related to race, gender, income disparities, and unequal lending practices, contributing to financial inequality.
Prioritising financial inclusion is crucial for fostering global economic growth and AI plays a significant role in achieving this objective.
AI is enhancing financial inclusion by providing financial education and minimising fraud in transactions, empowering previously underserved populations.
The Impact of Financial Inclusion
Impact on Individuals
It is transformative for poverty reduction, empowering marginalised populations to save and invest, providing a tangible path out of poverty. Additionally, access to insurance and savings accounts enhances personal resilience, helping individuals navigate financial risks associated with unforeseen events like health crises, natural disasters, and economic downturns. Financial inclusion is the first step towards social equity.
Impact on the Economy
It fuels economic growth by supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs, fostering innovation, job creation, and overall development. Beyond individual empowerment, it plays a crucial role in addressing global challenges, particularly by facilitating climate action in communities most affected by climate change.
Many market participants recognise the profound impact that financial inclusion can have on the economy and are collectively taking action.
Here are some examples of how they are leveraging AI to promote financial inclusion.
Click here to download ‘Bridging Gaps: AI’s Role in Financial Inclusion’ as a PDF
Ecosystm conducted the Global Sustainability Barometer Study in the final quarter of 2023 in collaboration with Kyndryl and Microsoft, to assess the disparity between sustainability commitments and actual actions in organisations across the world. The highlights from the study drove some meaningful discussions at COP28.
Read the report based on the study that captured the sentiments of more than 1,500 technology and sustainability leaders across 16 countries.
Download Whitepaper – From Vision to Impact: The Global Sustainability Barometer
(Clicking on this link will take you to the Kyndryl website where you can download the whitepaper)
Setting and achieving Sustainability goals is complex in BFSI. To be truly sustainable, organisations need to:
- Reduce internal energy consumption and carbon footprint
- Fund the transition to decarbonisation in high emission industries
- Introduce “green” customer products and services
- Monitor carbon data for financed emissions
Data and AI have the potential to assist in achieving these objectives, provided they are used effectively. Here is how.
Download ‘Driving Sustainability with Data and AI in Financial Services’ as a PDF
Ecosystm research reveals a stark reality: 75% of technology leaders in Financial Services anticipate data breaches.
Given the sector’s regulatory environment, data breaches carry substantial financial implications, emphasising the critical importance of giving precedence to cybersecurity. This is compelling a fresh cyber strategy focused on early threat detection and reduction of attack impact.
Read on to find out how tech leaders are building a culture of cyber-resilience, re-evaluating their cyber policies, and adopting technologies that keep them one step ahead of their adversaries.
Download ‘Cyber-Resilience in Finance: People, Policy & Technology’ as a PDF
Fintechs have carved out a niche both in their customer-centric approach and in crafting solutions for underserved communities without access to traditional financial services. Irrespective of their objectives, there is an immense reliance on innovation for lower-cost, personalised, and more convenient services.
However, a staggering 75% of venture-backed fintech startups fail to scale and grow – and this applies to fintechs as well.
Here are the 5 areas that fintechs need to focus on to succeed in a competitive market.
Download ‘Building a Successful Fintech Business’ as a PDF
Cyber threats are growing in volume, intensity, and complexity and are here to stay. Basic endpoint attacks are becoming intricate, multi-stage operations. Cybercriminals are launching highly coordinated and advanced attacks. This evolving threat landscape affects businesses of all sizes, jeopardising data, operations, and finances.
In the face of massive data leaks, costly ransomware payments, and an ever-expanding and complex threat landscape, the need to strengthen digital defences has driven significant advancements in cybersecurity.
Read on to find out how organisations, governments, industry associations and technology providers are evolving ways to combat cybercrime.
Download ‘Securing the Future: Cyber Resiliency in the Digital World’ as a PDF
How can you build your network and form security strategies to become highly distributed,cloud native, and converged in the Hyperconnected era.
This eBook covers the challenges identified by modern, hyperconnected enterprises and how SASE could play a crucial role in addressing challenges for the cloud native, globally distributed enterprises.
Download our eBook titled “SASE Empowering the Distributed Enterprise”
(Clicking on this link will take you to the TATA Communications website where you can download the eBook)
Climate summits have attempted to reach a consensus and firm international agreements on emission reduction strategies. However, countries continue to lag behind in the climate promises – many do not back their ambitious targets with real, measurable steps.
With the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) on the horizon, the world’s attention is fixed on how the conference can operationalise climate outcomes.
Read on to find out about the pivotal discussions and potential breakthroughs that COP28 holds in the global fight against environmental change.
Download ‘Eyes on COP28: Shaping the Direction of Global Climate Policy’ as a PDF.
In our previous Ecosystm Insights, Ecosystm Principal Advisor, Gerald Mackenzie, highlighted the key drivers for boosting ESG maturity and the need to transition from standalone ESG projects to integrating ESG goals into organisational strategy and operations.
This shift can be difficult, requiring an alignment of ESG objectives with broader strategic aims and using organisational capabilities effectively. The solution involves prioritising essential goals, knitting them into overall business strategy, quantifying success metrics, and establishing incentives and governance for effective execution.
The benefits are proven and significant. Stronger Customer and Employee Value Propositions, better bottom line, improved risk profile, and more attractive enterprise valuations for investors and lenders.
According to Gerald, here are 5 things to keep in mind when starting on an ESG journey.
Download ‘Embedding Sustainability in Corporate Strategy and Operations’ as a PDF