Policies and Innovations for Improving Access to Financial Services in Latin America: What Works and What Doesn't?

December 3, 2007

**PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED**

Access to financial services in Latin America remains low and has improved little in recent years, despite a favorable international financial climate, sound macroeconomic policies and ample liquidity in most countries. Why hasn’t the sharp decline in regional interest rates increased the use of financial services? Could it be that financial innovations are more important than interest rates for improving the access of middle class and poor people to financial services? But wait, what then of the sub-prime mortgage loan crisis in the U.S.? Is this a warning to policymakers about the risks of certain forms of financial innovation? What to do then? 

These are among the questions that the Latin America Shadow Financial Regulatory Committee, a group of former senior Latin American policymakers, will explore during their 17th meeting, to be held at the Center for Global Development in Washington, D.C. Following the meeting, the Committee will release a statement with their conclusions and present their recommendations. 

Featuring 
The Latin-American Shadow Financial Regulatory Committee (LASFRC) 

Including 
Liliana Rojas-Suarez: President, LASFRC; Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development
Guillermo Calvo: Former Chief Economist, Inter-American Development Bank 
Roque Fernandez: Former Minister of Finance, Argentina 
Francisco Gil-Diaz: Former Minister of Finance, Mexico 

Monday, December 3, 2007 
10:30 a.m.--12:00 p.m. 

at 
Center for Global Development 
1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Third Floor, Washington, DC