Together, we can make a Difference

Inclusion

The Inclusion Working Group has the specific purpose to inform and collaborate with government, regulators and third sector bodies, providing clarity on innovations and solutions in payments that can reduce financial exclusion and the poverty premium. It seeks to achieve this by collaborating with industry bodies, developing thought-leadership campaigns, and informing regulatory and legislative decisions.

Supported by
Mastercard logo

Community finance breakfast roundtable in House of Commons

In January, the Financial Inclusion Working Group held a breakfast roundtable in the House of Commons on Redefining Community Finance.
 
The event by The Payment Association’s Financial Inclusion Working Group, in association with Mastercard, and hosted by Lord Ranger, was an excellent opportunity to discuss key policy recommendations proposed in our Redefining Community Finance report which included:
  • Introducing a kitemark
  • Incentivising greater engagement with the community finance sector
  • Relaxing the common bond and removing the credit broking barrier.
 
We are delighted that Lords, MPs, regulators and key stakeholders throughout the industry attended to engage in a practical exploration of how government and the payments industry can work together to improve financial inclusion across the UK.

Why should I join a working group?

The Payments Association’s working groups are comprised of industry experts from across the payments chain, who share the mission of driving industry change to shape the future payments landscape and improve the industry on behalf of members of the association


Being a member of one of The Payments Association’s working groups comes with a host of benefits:

  • You will get exclusive access to meetings with industry experts.
  • The opportunity to build your network with the leading figures from across the payments industry.
  • Invites to exclusive events from The Payments Association, like the Working Group AGM at the annual PAY360 conference.
  • The opportunity to actively help deliver the Working Group outputs.


In addition, committee members will receive:

  • An invitation to an annual in-person meeting and lunch.
  • The opportunity to feature your headshot and company logo on selected outputs and our website.
  • The opportunity to contribute and network in our monthly meetings.


All working group members are representatives of organisations with The Payments Association membership.

Listened to our latest podcast?

Join Gurminder Bhagrath, COO of Plane Saver Credit Union, Karen Elliott, Professor in Finance & FinTech at The University of Birmingham, and Shaun May, Director, Strategy, Sustainability and Innovation, Coutts, and Inclusion Working Group member, as they delve into the challenges and opportunities in community finance.

This special episode of the Insights Podcast with the Inclusion Working Group explores innovative approaches to financial inclusion, the role of technology, and the critical need for collaboration across sectors. Discover insights from industry leaders and practical solutions to empower underserved communities and build financial resilience.

Strategy and approach

Our mission

“Improving inclusion and creating better financial services for long underserved individuals and communities, remains vital. I’m proud to be part of an industry that has been innovating to improve people’s lives for many years, and it’s a privilege to continue this important work through the efforts of the Inclusion Working Group and The Payments Association.”

Pooja Bhachu, Director of Public Policy at Mastercard, Inclusion Working Group Lead

Team members

James Turner

James Turner

Travers Smith
Knowledge Counsel | Financial Services and Markets

Jayne Sibley

Sibstar
Co-Founder

Jos Henson-Grič

Flex
Founder

Neil Harris

b-yond
CEO

Noyan Nihat

The Payments Association
Advisory Board Member, Inclusion Working Group Mentor

Pooja Bhachu

Mastercard
Director, Public Policy UK and Ireland & Inclusion Working Group Lead

Shaun May

NatWest
Strategy and Innovation Manager

Simon Thomas

allpay
Head of Financial Services

Tapio Vailahti

Tietoevry
Head of Innovation & Development, Card Personalization

Members involved

Outputs

The FCA estimates that 12.9 million UK adults have low financial resilience – that’s one in every four. With millions struggling to make ends meet, community finance options are an increasingly important consideration, but are often neglected in conversations around financial inclusion.

Our community finance project explores how community finance should be redefined to make it more inclusive, accessible, and fit for purpose to tackle today’s financial exclusion. challenges. 

How we harness payments innovation to help long underserved individuals to build their financial capabilities, resiliency and long-term financial security, has never been more important. The working group launched an initiative exploring the potential for payments and broader fintech innovation to help mitigate the impact of rising cost of living including an industry-leading report delivered to MPs at a Parliamentary Breakfast.

Financial inclusion has long been synonymized with the 1.7 billion unbanked across the world. This initiative highlighted the needs of significant communities beyond the unbanked, who  seek financial products that accommodate their values and beliefs.

The Inclusion Working Group has explored numerous ways in which financial inclusion can be aided by innovative technology. They have produced a whitepaper that investigates how fintech innovation is increasing access to affordable credit and tackling financial exclusion. Additionally, they have created a series of blogs from a series of interviews with fintech experts, to explore how crypto helps aid Financial Inclusion. 

Through a series of interviews, a podcast and a report, the Inclusion Working Group set out to find out what it means to be a sustainable fintech and where to start. The report, ‘Sustainability Superheroes: A how-to guide to ESG for fintechs’, provided insights from several fintech leaders.

In our latest podcast, join Gurminder Bhagrath, COO of Plane Saver Credit Union, Karen Elliott, Professor in Finance & FinTech at The University of Birmingham, and Shaun May, Director, Strategy, Sustainability and Innovation, Coutts, and Inclusion Working Group member, as they delve into the challenges and opportunities in community finance.

Previously, Josh Berle (Mastercard), Frederick Rugginz (JP Morgan), Kit Yarker (PPS) and Charles Radclyffe (EthicsGrade), discussed how sustainability can be feasible in fintech companies.

Recent related articles

Get in touch

Interested in joining our Inclusion Working Group?

Please fill out the form to indicate your interest in receiving more information about The Payments Association’s Inclusion Working Group. A member of our Project Team will be in touch with you shortly.

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