About Us
Our Values
Collaborate – we advocate for working together and offer a platform for networking, learning and engagement.
Mobilise – we act as a catalyst for the implementation and innovation of digital financial products and services.
Include – we act in the best interest of the under-served and under-represented.
Our Objectives
Create an Alliance that operates sustainably and adds credible value to its members, partners, and markets it serves.
Develop Digital Finance and Fintech Associations that are a trusted and utilised source of expertise, that advocate and support change that leads to the provision of inclusive digital financial services in their country.
Increase networking, collaboration, partnerships, and synergy within the digital financial services industry locally, regionally, and globally.
Collaborate with stakeholders and partners to continue to build on, develop, and implement good practice and standards through the global exchange of knowledge and experience.
Create a more inclusive digital financial services industry and ecosystem with strengthened representation and advocacy, particularly for women, youth, rural and displaced populations.
Why did we form the
Alliance of Digital Finance and Fintech Associations?
The digital finance industry involves multiple sectors and professions, each with their standards, approaches, and viewpoints. It is a competitive and fast-moving industry, often with dominant actors and battling disruptors. Outdated and disjointed policy and regulatory frameworks, flawed infrastructure, and internet and power coverage are some of the challenges experienced. The profession is also suffering from under-capacitation, a shortage of skilled staff, and siloes which prevent shared learning. These challenges create a fragmented industry, hindering innovation and advancement, and leaving millions excluded from or being underserved by digital financial services.
Alliance of Digital Finance and Fintech Associations (AllianceDFA) addresses these challenges by establishing and supporting the sustainable growth and actions of country-based Digital Finance and Fintech Associations (DFAs), to shape the ecosystem and drive the inclusive finance industry.
Bringing together and uniting digital finance professionals through DFAs will break down silos and allow learning and best practice to be shared. Having connected, skilled and knowledgeable professionals will create a talent pool easily accessible to employers and global organisations. Connections also create an environment conducive to fostering collaborations and partnerships, and to facilitate a collective voice across the profession advocating for an enabling approach to policy, regulation, and infrastructure. This allows responsible and inclusive digital financial services to thrive and products and services to improve financial health and resilience.
Our DFA Members are already empowering and capacitating their members, advocating, catalysing action, and shaping a digital finance ecosystem that allows for greater financial resilience and inclusive economic growth, contributing to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
As the convenor and representative of our DFA members, we actively seek and alert members to opportunities, partnerships, and foster collaborations. We provide an accessible global network of DFAs and their members for researchers, organisations, donors, and investors to work with. We are a bridge to build cohesiveness in the digital finance profession and an independent voice to advocate for an enabling approach to policy, regulation, and infrastructure that supports the inclusive digital finance industry.
AllianceDFA was founded in 2020 by ten DFAs who recognised the need for a unifying and independent voice in the industry. These founding DFAs created our vision and mission, and we officially launched in September 2021 through the signing of bilateral agreements between these members and our Honorary Member, Digital Frontiers. AllianceDFA is being incubated at Digital Frontiers, with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Our Board
AllianceDFA is guided by a highly experienced and diverse Board, which is responsible for steering and setting the strategic direction and ensuring accountability for organisational performance.
Our Board members come from various backgrounds, industries, and geographies, bringing a wealth of experience.
We have five seats that represent our DFA Membership Base and are elected through a nomination process, and three advisors who bring knowledge and experience to support continued growth.
Core Functions and Responsibilities of the Board
- Steer and set strategic direction with regards to both AllianceDFA strategy or for specific programs and projects and how specific governance areas are to be approached, addressed, and conducted
- Approves policy and planning that give effect to the strategy and the set direction
- Ensures accountability for organisational performance through reporting and disclosure
- Oversees and monitors implementation and execution of strategy by management
- Support the reputation and growth of the membership of AllianceDFA
Our Board members bring a wealth of experience from the digital finance profession, across industries, sectors, and geographies.
Dr. Dee Allen
Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance
Sarah Corley
CEO
AllianceDFA
Joao Gaspar
Board Chairman
Mozambique Fintech Association
Juliet Munro
FSD Africa
Camilo Tellez-Merchan
Better Than Cash Alliance at United Nations
Rob Ashley Madziva
Association of Digital Finance Practitioners Tanzania
Diana Akullu Wanyama
Board Secretariat
Digital Frontiers Association Uganda
Lito Villanueva
Fintech Alliance Philippines
Sugandh Saxena
Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment (FACE)
Reports
Our reports focus on the challenges and opportunities within the digital finance ecosystem. They offer comprehensive analyses, trends, and data-driven insights direct from the industry itself from our DFA Members and Partner Members. These reports serve as resources for policymakers, industry professionals, and stakeholders seeking to understand the dynamics of digital finance, regulatory landscapes, emerging technologies, and market opportunities. With a focus on evidence-based research and best practices, our reports aim to inform decision-making processes, drive innovation, and foster collaboration towards achieving sustainable development goals.
AllianceDFA Annual Report 2023
White Paper | The Role of DFSs as SROs
The Role of Cloud Computing to Advance Financial Inclusion in Africa
Case Studies
Our case studies highlight the real-world impact stories of our Digital Finance and Fintech Associations. They showcase the impact they are making on their markets through influencing regulation, policy and infrastructure change, market conduct and practice, innovation and collaboration, and developing the capacity of the profession. Their work is giving greater choice and access to responsible digital financial services for the consumer.
