TMG leads Eastern Caribbean digital financial inclusion workshops

As part of an International Telecommunication Union (ITU)-funded project, TMG conducted workshops in St. Lucia and Antigua & Barbuda last week to discuss enabling financial inclusion via digital financial services (DFS). TMG is developing recommendations and proposed implementation roadmaps intended to leverage DFS as a means to expand access to financial services and to encourage and enable the entry of innovative applications.

During each two-day workshop, TMG Director, Policy and Market Intelligence Jeff Bernstein and Vice President Daniel Leza conducted interactive discussions on key digital financial inclusion pillars. These included enabling inclusion, digital services, payment innovation, financial integrity, and consumer protection. In addition to validating desk research, a key goal of both workshops was to gain additional insights from sector stakeholders.

In St. Lucia, attendees at the November 17-18 workshop included the Department of Public Sector Modernization (DPSM), the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), the Attorney General’s Chambers, and the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC), as well as representatives of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL), and the World Bank-funded Caribbean Digital Transformation Project (CARDTP). Participants at the November 20-21 workshop included the Ministry of ICTs, Energy, and Utilities and the Financial Sector Regulatory Commission (FSRC), as well as a country representative from the ECCB and representatives of multiple financial institutions. In both countries, private-sector participants included both regional mobile network operators and innovative financial services providers.

TMG is now incorporating the information and insights gathered during the workshops into revised draft reports that will be shared with the ITU and each country. Upon receiving feedback from each party, TMG will revise the reports and provide final recommendations aligned with the project’s objectives.

About TMG

TMG (www.tmgtelecom.com) provides customized assistance to a variety of clients in the ICT sector, including current projects enabling innovative technologies such as 5G, submarine cables systems, satellite broadband, over-the-top services, next generation Wi-Fi, and the Internet of Things. Our engagement on contemporary issues leverages 30 years of experience across more than 100 countries advising private and public sector clients on matters including broadband plans, mobile services, and rural connectivity. TMG’s staff develops legal, regulatory, managerial, economic, and technical strategies focusing on issues related to broadband and ICTs, legal and regulatory reform, market analysis, licensing and tenders, and spectrum planning and management. The TMG team is well-known by stakeholders worldwide for its expertise and for delivering thoughtful strategies, detailed reports, sector insights, and capacity-building programs.