Aishwarya Ratan (Financial Inclusion Program Director, IPA) attended a conference on financial inclusion hosted by the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), the African Development Bank, the National Bank of Rwanda, and the World Bank to commemorate the National Bank of Rwanda’s fiftieth anniversary. The conference brought together key stakeholders in the region to discuss the importance of financial inclusion to alleviate poverty and promote healthy financial systems. During the conference, Aishwarya participated in a panel on the Impact of Financial Inclusion on Poverty Alleviation and Inclusive Development. Aishwarya discussed evidence from randomized evaluations on the impact of improving access to financial services and designing products to better meet the needs of the poor.