Navigating Financial Regulations & Unlocking Investment for Forcibly Displaced Communities

DLA Piper
160 Aldersgate Street
London
EC1A 4HT

The over 120 million people uprooted from their homes due to persecution, conflict and climate emergencies are full of potential. Yet they face daunting challenges as they seek to rebuild their lives.

For refugees, access to financial services in host countries is key to their economic survival. Without it, they cannot open a bank account to receive their wages, open businesses and track transferable credit, critical for those seeking to return home. However, regulatory and documentation barriers in many countries often prevent forcibly displaced people from accessing bank or mobile money accounts, limiting their economic inclusion and integration into local communities.

To address these challenges, UNHCR works with key private sector partners, such as DLA Piper to expand existing initiatives and pilot new programs. The objective is removing barriers to financial services for refugees.

In 2024 alone, UNHCR delivered life-saving cash assistance to more than 6 million people in over 100 countries, enabling recipients to meet their needs with dignity and choice. Financial services providers played a vital role in enabling these efforts and continue to be actively engaged in co-creating innovative solutions that bridge the financial inclusion gap.

Join us to explore strategies that address urgent humanitarian needs while promoting financial empowerment of both displaced and host communities. This is a unique opportunity for financial service stakeholders to make a difference, engage with an underserved market and uncover new customer segments. Expect to gain global insights, discover enabling factors, challenge perceptions and seize potential opportunities.

15:00   Welcome speech

• Andrew Dyson, Partner, Country Managing Partner, UK, DLA Piper
• Dominique Hyde, Director, Division of External Relations, UNHCR

15:10   Briefing Note: Enabling Regulations, Barriers & Good Practices 

• Özgür Kahale, Pro Bono Director, DLA Piper
• Micol Pistelli, Senior Financial Inclusion Officer, UNHCR

15:25   From Barriers to Bridges: Unlocking Investment Opportunities

Moderator:

• Joe Huxley, Director, The Impact Dividend

Panelists:

• Ricardo Garcia Tafur, Senior Operations Officer, IFC-UNHCR Joint Initiative
• Philippe Guichandut, General Secretary, Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation
• Micol Pistelli, Senior Financial Inclusion Officer, UNHCR
• Lev Plaves, Investment Director, Kiva
• Justin Sykes, Managing Director, Innovest Advisory

16:25   Coffee Break



16:40   Spotlight on Success: A Fireside Chat with Entrepreneurs with Refugee Background

Moderator: 

• Dominique Hyde, Director, Division of External Relations, UNHCR

Panelists:

• Maysa Ismael, Founder of Shik Shak Shok
• Anil Qasemi, Founder of Hatopia

17:05   Innovating Access: Financial Services and Regulation That Work

Moderator:

• Edward Fraser, Executive Director, Financial Inclusion Forum

Panelists:

• Lydia Baffour-Awuah, Director of International Programmes, Opportunity International UK
• Rory Bruce, Global Resource Development & Management Director, VisionFund International
• Tracey Fuller, Head of Community Engagement and Impact, BNP Paribas
• Mariam Zahari, Policy Specialist, Alliance for Financial Inclusion

17:55   Closing Remarks

• Alderman Vincent Keaveny CBE, Senior Adviser, DLA Piper, Lord Mayor of the City of London 2021/22
• Elizabeth Eyster, Deputy Director, Division of Resilience and Solutions, UNHCR

18:05   Drinks Reception

Dominique Hyde
Director of External Relations at UNHCR

Micol Pistelli
Senior Financial Inclusion Officer at UNHCR

Joe Huxley
Managing Director at The Impact Dividend Ltd

Ricardo Martin Garcia Tafur
Senior Operations Officer at IFC-UNHCR Joint Initiative

Philippe Guichandut
General Secretary at Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation

Lev Plaves
Investment Director at Kiva

Justin Sykes
Managing Director at Innovest Advisory

Maysa Ismael
Founder of Shik Shak Shok

Anil Qasemi
Founder of Hatopia

Edward Fraser
Executive Director of the Financial Inclusion Forum UK (FIF UK)

Rory Bruce
Global Resource Development and Management Director at VisionFund International

Tracey Fuller
Head of Community Engagement and Impact at BNP Paribas UK

Mariam Jemila Zahari
Policy Specialist at the Alliance at Financial Inclusion (AFI)

Lydia Baffour-Awuah
Director of International Programmes at Opportunity International UK

Elizabeth Eyster
Deputy Director of the Division of Resilience and Solutions at UNHCR

Charlie Fraser
Partnerships Director, TERN