Session
Interledger Foundation
* Ayden Férdeline, Interledger Foundation, Civil Society, Western European and Others (Organizer and Onsite Moderator) * Lawil Karma, Interledger Foundation, Civil Society, Western European and Others (Organizer) * Stephanie Perrin, Digital Discretion, Private Sector, Western European and Others (Organizer and Online Moderator)
* Ayden Férdeline, Interledger Foundation, Civil Society, Western European and Others (Organizer and Onsite Moderator) * Lawil Karma, Interledger Foundation, Civil Society, Western European and Others (Organizer) * Stephanie Perrin, Digital Discretion, Private Sector, Western European and Others (Organizer and Online Moderator)
Organization's Website
Speakers
Briana Marbury, Interledger Foundation, Civil Society, Western European and Others
Smriti Parsheera, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Civil Society, Asia and the Pacific
Stephanie Perrin, Digital Discretion, Private Sector, Western European and Others
Jeremiah Lee, Independent Expert, Private Sector, Western European and Others
Onsite Moderator
Ayden Férdeline
Online Moderator
Stephanie Perrin
Rapporteur
Lawil Karama
SDGs
1. No Poverty
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals
Targets: SDG 1: No Poverty – By reducing financial exclusion, interoperable payment systems enable traditionally-excluded populations to access financial services, build savings, and participate in the global, digital economy. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – Digital financial inclusion fosters entrepreneurship, empowers small businesses, and facilitates economic participation. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – The promotion of Open Payment protocols supports resilient and inclusive financial infrastructure. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – By addressing regulatory and technical barriers, these principles help ensure equitable access to financial services, particularly for underserved and marginalized communities. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions – A focus on transparent governance and privacy safeguards in digital finance strengthens trust in financial institutions and reduces systemic risks. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – The initiative embodies multistakeholder collaboration between governments, private sector actors, civil society, and technical experts to advance inclusive digital finance.
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals
Targets: SDG 1: No Poverty – By reducing financial exclusion, interoperable payment systems enable traditionally-excluded populations to access financial services, build savings, and participate in the global, digital economy. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – Digital financial inclusion fosters entrepreneurship, empowers small businesses, and facilitates economic participation. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – The promotion of Open Payment protocols supports resilient and inclusive financial infrastructure. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – By addressing regulatory and technical barriers, these principles help ensure equitable access to financial services, particularly for underserved and marginalized communities. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions – A focus on transparent governance and privacy safeguards in digital finance strengthens trust in financial institutions and reduces systemic risks. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – The initiative embodies multistakeholder collaboration between governments, private sector actors, civil society, and technical experts to advance inclusive digital finance.
Format
Theater
The session will be structured as a launch and interactive panel discussion, including: * Opening Presentation (10 minutes): Introduction to the Dynamic Coalition on Digital Financial Inclusion and the newly developed Statement of Principles. * Panel Discussion (40 minutes): Experts from diverse sectors (government, industry, civil society) will discuss the significance of interoperability in Open Payments and the future of digital financial inclusion. * Audience Q&A and Open Forum (10 minutes): Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on the Statement of Principles. The session will encourage active engagement online and in-person, allowing IGF stakeholders to provide input on how these principles can be implemented and adapted to local contexts.
The session will be structured as a launch and interactive panel discussion, including: * Opening Presentation (10 minutes): Introduction to the Dynamic Coalition on Digital Financial Inclusion and the newly developed Statement of Principles. * Panel Discussion (40 minutes): Experts from diverse sectors (government, industry, civil society) will discuss the significance of interoperability in Open Payments and the future of digital financial inclusion. * Audience Q&A and Open Forum (10 minutes): Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on the Statement of Principles. The session will encourage active engagement online and in-person, allowing IGF stakeholders to provide input on how these principles can be implemented and adapted to local contexts.
Duration (minutes)
60
Description
Over the past 18 months, the Dynamic Coalition on Digital Financial Inclusion has worked collaboratively with representatives of governments, regulatory and supervisory authorities, financial institutions, leading civil society organizations, and with low-income communities that have traditionally been excluded from banking systems to develop a comprehensive policy framework for interoperable payment protocols that advance secure, inclusive, and efficient digital financial ecosystems.
Interoperable payment protocols have the potential to transform digital financial services by reducing transaction costs in domestic transfers and international remittances, expanding access to secure and efficient digital transactions, and enabling new, sustainable business models for the web. By unlocking seamless, low-cost, cross-border financial transactions, these protocols can support economic participation for creators and artists from underserved populations, promote financial resilience for small businesses, and strengthen digital public infrastructure.
Beyond financial services, interoperable Open Payments systems could reshape digital commerce and content monetization, enabling microtransactions that reduce reliance on intrusive advertising models and create more equitable, user-centric revenue streams for digital creators and service providers.
However, for these innovations to succeed at scale, they require responsible and adaptive regulatory frameworks, global technical standards, and a commitment to user-first design—ensuring that financial inclusion efforts do not compromise privacy, security, autonomy, or accessibility.
This launch event will introduce the Dynamic Coalition on Digital Financial Inclusion’s Statement of Principles, a policy framework designed to guide governments, financial institutions, and innovators in implementing Open Payments responsibly and equitably. The session will also feature an interactive roundtable discussion on how these principles can drive responsible and sustainable innovation in digital financial systems, balancing the need for inclusivity, security, and regulatory accountability.
While all of our panelists will be at the IGF in-person, we invite full and equal audience participation from online participants. To make this happen, we will appoint a dedicated online moderator and an onsite facilitator to coordinate audience engagement, ensuring online participants can ask questions and contribute equally. We will use real-time chat and Q&A tools to collect questions from online attendees, which the online moderator will bring into the discussion at key moments, and we will enable direct interventions from remote participants, allowing them to unmute and engage in the conversation just as an onsite participant would.
While all of our panelists will be at the IGF in-person, we invite full and equal audience participation from online participants. To make this happen, we will appoint a dedicated online moderator and an onsite facilitator to coordinate audience engagement, ensuring online participants can ask questions and contribute equally. We will use real-time chat and Q&A tools to collect questions from online attendees, which the online moderator will bring into the discussion at key moments, and we will enable direct interventions from remote participants, allowing them to unmute and engage in the conversation just as an onsite participant would.