What's Holding Digital Financial Inclusion Back in Your Country?
Many emerging and developing countries have made real progress toward digital financial inclusion. Yet millions still face serious obstacles to using digital payments, hindering their ability to transact safely, save securely and access credit. A key challenge for policymakers is identifying which constraints are truly binding. Without clear diagnosis and proper prioritization, policy efforts risk targeting secondary issues, leaving the fundamental barriers unaddressed and impact limited.
In this FinDev webinar, participants learned about a new tool that helps uncover the root causes of exclusion: the Decision Tree for Digital Financial Inclusion, a newly launched online course from the Center for Global Development. Built around the Decision Tree framework, the course brings a data‑driven methodology to a global audience. It’s open to all and requires no prior training in economics or data science. Designed for policymakers, graduate students and practitioners, the course includes short, structured lessons, optional data exercises, and real‑world application guides.
In the webinar, policymakers and researchers shared their experiences using the tool to identify binding constraints in their own countries.
About this Webinar
Recorded
Speaker Bios
Liliana Rojas-Suarez
Liliana Rojas-Suarez is the Director of the Latin American Initiative and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development. She is also the President of the Latin American Committee on Macroeconomic and Financial Issues (CLAAF). Dr. Rojas-Suarez has held senior roles in the private sector and at multilateral organizations, including Deutsche Bank, the IMF, and the Inter-American Development Bank. In 2022, Forbes named her one of the 50 most influential women in Peru.
Solomon Damtew
Solomon Damtew is the Director of Payment and Settlement Systems at the National Bank of Ethiopia, where he has worked for the past 15 years focused on payment systems oversight and development. He has also taught at Admas University in Addis Ababa. He holds a Master’s degree in Accounting and Finance, and a certificate from the Financial Inclusion Leadership Program at Tufts University.
Muuka Madubeko
Muuka Madubeko is Assistant Director of Payment Systems Development and Operations at the Bank of Zambia. With over 19 years in the financial sector, he has held roles in banking operations, payment systems and policy development to support a secure and efficient national payment system and enhance financial inclusion. He holds an MBA and a bachelor’s in accountancy, and is a certified digital finance practitioner. He is also a Fellow of the Financial Inclusion Leadership Program at Tufts University.
Miguel Székely
Miguel Székely is Director and founder of the Centre for Education and Social Studies in Mexico City. He served as Under Secretary for Education (2006-10) and Under Secretary for Planning and Evaluation for Social Development (2002-06) in the government of Mexico. Previously he was a Research Economist at the Inter-American Development Bank (1996-2001). He has a PhD and an MA in Economics from the University of Oxford, and has specialized in education, social policy, and public policy evaluation.
