Fawry, a major nationwide electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) platform in Egypt, announced that its plans to organize the country’s first financial inclusion conference, which is set from June 17 in Cairo. Fawry’s event is themed "Toward greater access to financial and governmental services."

The conference, which is under the auspices of the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, aims to discuss the best means of extending financial and governmental services to small and micro enterprises and the neediest Egyptians.

The conference is being held in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and MasterCard.

The conference participants will also include the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), a World Bank research institution in the field of financial access, and the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA), a leading research institution in mobile phone applications that pertain to various aspects of life.

Given the company’s keenness to add a dimension of first-hand expertise from the countries with similar socioeconomic circumstances as Egypt, Fawry has invited experts from Brazil, Mexico and India, in addition to those who carried out various experiments in Africa.

"The company’s interest in organizing this conference is in line with its belief that providing financial and governmental services to the most needy sectors and small enterprises is among the most important mechanisms of attaining social justice," said Ashraf Sabry, CEO of Fawry.

"Driving financial inclusion is a key focus for MasterCard, and in Egypt we have been at the forefront of developing innovative payment programs," said Magdy Hassan, country manager, Egypt, MasterCard.

"With only 10 percent of adults having an account at a formal financial institution, expanding access to financial services to a wider population remains a priority for IFC," said Nada Shosha, IFC’s Regional director for Egypt, Libya and Yemen.