Shaping the future of financial supervision
The journey from the RegTech for Regulators Accelerator (R²A) to the Cambridge SupTech Lab
Five years ago, I was in Manila to conduct the first suptech diagnostic for the newly launched RegTech for Regulators Accelerator (R²A). It was a Monday afternoon, and I was sitting in Pia Roman’s office at the headquarters of the Central Bank of the Philippines (BSP). Pia – who is currently the Director of the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA) – was leading the BSP market conduct unit.
Taking market conduct supervision to the next level
My journey as a financial supervisor and my intention to expand my impact with the Cambridge SupTech Lab
For the last nine years, I have been a market conduct supervisor in the Peruvian financial authority, the Superintendence of Banking, Insurance, and Private Pension Funds. My mission has been to protect financial consumers from unfair practices and to ensure that financial service providers conduct their business in the best interest of consumers.
Human-centric design and the future of financial supervision
Focusing on pains and gains to build capacity, co-create solutions and establish communities of practice
After a decade spent supervising payment systems at the Central Bank of Kenya, I started promoting innovation across the financial sector working. Over the past few years, I have been advocating the importance of human-centric design (HCD), the need to build empathy and a deep understanding of the people you are designing for. HCD is ‘an approach to problem-solving commonly used in design, management, and engineering frameworks that develops solutions to problems by involving the human perspective in all steps of the problem-solving process.’ In my HCD journey, I have collaborated with both private and public sector stakeholders in designing products that meet the financial needs of underserved segments or designing more inclusive and innovative policies.
Powering the paradigm shift in financial supervision: The Cambridge SupTech Lab Innovation Leadership Programme
This new era of data abundance and mass adoption of digitally native financial products has intensified existing risks and introduced new ones, widening the gap between financial authorities’ duty of oversight and their ability to fulfil their mandate. While supervisors have been trying to catch up with the market for a long time, the increasingly fast pace with which innovative technologies are being implemented and used in the financial sector highlighted just how insufficient the supervisory tools and processes were.
Women for financial inclusion: Interview with May Abulanga, Central Bank of Egypt
For the month of March, in honor of International Women’s Day, the Cambridge SupTech Lab will be featuring inspiring leaders of women in finance and financial supervision. We asked them questions about financial inclusion as well as about career advice and mentorship. Our next leader is May Abulanga, First Sub Governor, Central Bank of Egypt.
Gender in financial supervision: Interview with Simran Singh, UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
For the month of March, in honor of International Women’s Day, the Cambridge SupTech Lab is featuring inspiring leaders of women in finance and financial supervision. We asked them questions about financial inclusion as well as about career advice and finance mentorship. Our next leader is Simran Singh, TechSprint Lead, Innovation Lab, Financial Conduct Authority.
Digital financial Inclusion for women: Interview with Laura López, Superintendencia de Banca, Seguros y Administradoras de Fondos de Pensiones del Perú
For the month of March, in honor of International Women’s Day, the Cambridge SupTech Lab will be featuring inspiring leaders of women in finance and financial supervision. We asked them questions about financial inclusion as well as about career advice and mentorship. Our next leader is Laura López, Chief of Insurance Supervision, Superintendencia de Banca, Seguros y Administradoras de Fondos de Pensiones del Perú (SBS).
Disaggregated data and equal representation: Interview with Inés Páez, Superintendencia de Bancos de la República Dominicana
For the month of March, in honor of International Women’s Day, the Cambridge SupTech Lab will be featuring inspiring leaders of women in finance and financial supervision. We asked them questions about financial innovation, career advice, and what disaggregated data specific to gender can show to help fix gender gaps and improve access within financial systems. Our next leader is Inés Páez, Subdirector, Superintendencia de Bancos de la República Dominicana.
Women’s economic empowerment: Interview with Clara Arthur, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)
For the month of March, in honor of International Women’s Day, the Cambridge SupTech Lab will be featuring inspiring leaders of women in finance and financial supervision. We asked them questions about financial inclusion as well as about career advice and mentorship. Our next leader is Clara Arthur, Policy and Ecosystem Specialist, United Nations Capital Development FundGhana (UNCDF).
Women in banking: Interview with Sonja Kelly, Women World Banking
For the month of March, in honor of International Women’s Day, the Cambridge SupTech Lab will be featuring inspiring leaders of women in finance and financial supervision. We asked them questions about women in banking as well as about career advice and mentorship. Our next leader is Sonja Kelly, Vice President, Research & Advocacy, Women’s World Banking (WWB).
