The Financial Inclusion and Markets Centre has been created to focus on: financial services policy and regulation; financial market reform; evaluating the economic, environmental, and social utility of finance; and understanding the implications of the intersection between finance and technology including developments in AI, big data, and other technologies.
The new structure better reflects the balance of our work in recent years. The work of this unit covers:
- Evaluating how well finance serves the needs and interests of:
- the real economy focusing on regional and local economies, and SMEs and microbusinesses
- climate and wider environmental goals
- society focusing on how well finance meets the needs of consumers, and supports financial inclusion and resilience, economic and social justice goals.
- Developing policy to promote financial markets that work for the real economy, environment, and society.
- Evaluating developments, behaviours, and practices at the intersection of finance and technology.
- Developing policy to: ensure finance and technology works for the economy and society; mitigate risks created by developments at the intersection of finance and technology; and protect consumers from detriment created at the intersection of finance and techology.
This unit leads on producing research projects and policy reports on financial market reform, responses to government and regulator consultations, and collaborating with other civil society organisations on campaigns.
The Financial Inclusion and Markets Centre is the ‘think-tank’ while the Financial Inclusion Centre’s acts as the ‘do-tank’. The Financial Inclusion Centre remains the name of the non-profit organisation and the main legal and operating entity.
The inclusion work is led by Co-Director Gareth Evans gareth.evans@inclusioncentre.org.uk while Co-Director Mick McAteer mick.mcateer@inclusioncentre.org.uk leads on the policy work, although the whole team will continue to collaborate and work across the two different main areas.