Financial Systems

AFD Group promotes access to financial services adapted to the needs of groups historically excluded from such services - including rural populations, women, and Very Small and Micro Enterprises (VSMEs). Pursuing this commitment requires different types of support:

• Providing dedicated financial tools to certain customer groups that are excluded from financial systems
• Adapting the internal processes of financial institutions (risk assessment, investment policies, etc.) to target specific needs
• Providing training and support to get to know certain customers and certain sectors better
• Integrating the challenges of digitalization

To promote access to financial systems, AFD Group has rolled out a number of flagship initiatives:

• The 2X Challenge initiative for the economic role of women
• The AGREENFI label for supporting stakeholders in the agricultural sector
• The Choose Africa initiative for supporting the growth of VSMEs in Africa 

To go even further, AFD Group is redoubling its efforts to reduce inequality in its various forms. 

AFD Group promotes the transformation of financial systems so that they may contribute to the development of a more sustainable economy. 

AFD supports financial actors, particularly public development banks, in the development of their governance, strategy and internal processes. The objective is to contribute to a greater redirection of available financial resources towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as the fight against climate change and the reduction of gender and social inequality.  

To this end, AFD is developing diversified technical and financial support adapted to the needs of financial stakeholders, to their level of maturity and operational context.

AFD Group participates in consolidating the governance of financial actors while also strengthening the institutional and regulatory framework in which they operate. Ensuring the implementation of appropriate regulations, securing financing transactions and protecting customers are the key challenges facing financial systems.

With this in mind, AFD supports financial regulators in adopting rules that contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These standards also aim to preserve the stability of financial systems in an environment where risks are increasingly numerous (e.g. climate risk, financial crises, conflicts, etc.).