Accion International

See schedule oinvestment strategies: at accion, we know financial services are powerful tools to help reduce poverty and create opportunity. We find and help build innovative companies with the potential to reach large numbers of underserved people and accelerate their growth by investing capital and providing strategic governance and advice. We focus on social impact, driving systems-level change. We make equity and quasi-equity investments from pre-seed to growth-stage and prioritize investments in south and southeast asia, latin america, sub-saharan africa, and the united states. In 2024, accion continued to support its partners to digitize and scale operations so they can serve vulnerable clients in a rapidly digitizing world.

See schedule ocenter for financial inclusion: launched in 2008, the center for financial inclusion (cfi) is an independent global think tank housed at accion that uses rigorous research and advocacy to advance inclusive financial systems for low-income people around the world. It leverages partnerships to conduct research, test promising solutions, and then advocate for evidence-based change. Cfi conducts research related to its four strategic priorities: consumer protection, data risks and opportunities, women's financial inclusion, and financial services to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Cfi hosts financial inclusion week, an annual virtual event that in 2024 convened more than 3,000 policy experts, financial service providers, analysts, and industry leaders to discuss the most pressing topics in the inclusive finance sector. In 2024, cfi convened the responsible finance forum (rff) in fortaleza, brazil, bringing together global stakeholders to share ideas, research, and solutions on emerging consumer risks in inclusive finance.

Education and communication: accion's communications focus on the transformative power of financial inclusion to accelerate social and economic progress for underserved communities around the world. In 2024, accion showcased the importance of digital financial solutions for entrepreneurs and innovation through client-focused storytelling, along with papers, toolkits, and case studies promoting ways of better meeting the needs of the 1.6 billion people who are left out or poorly served by the global financial system.