On May 29, IPA Côte d'Ivoire and the Direction Générale de l'Emploi (DGE) of the Ministry of Employment and Social Protection signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).The agreement specifies how IPA will assist the Ministry with a special focus on the most vulnerable populations (youth, entrepreneurs in the informal sector, workers with handicaps, women, etc.).IPA and the Ministry have been forming this partnership for over a year and are particularly interested in conducting policy-relevant research.

The Open Banking World Congress is the leading global forum to discuss innovations in open banking and open finance models across the globe.Open finance seeks to improve consumer control and use of their data, expand choice, and facilitate financial sector innovation.These models often allow consumers to access and share their personal and financial information from one provider with other service providers, and in some cases directly move their accounts to new providers.This panel explored how these models might improve financial and social inclusion for consumers in emerging markets, with perspectives from Kenya, Nigeria, and East Asia.