A collaboration between Griffith Business School, through Griffith Asia Institute (GAI), and the Foundation for Development Cooperation (FDC) aims to assist financially vulnerable populations through the Asia-Pacific economic development and financial inclusion initiative.
The initiative hopes to improve economic opportunity for those at the base of the economy, impact financial inclusion policy and practice and help deliver positive and transformative outcomes for communities across the Asia-Pacific region.
A core focus of the partnership will be the development of a Financial Inclusion Hub, promoting high impact research collaborations alongside new knowledge and resources to support and enable financial inclusion across Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies.
GAI Director Professor Caitlin Byrne said Industry Fellow Shawn Hunter, from GAI's APEC Study Centre, had been appointed to lead the partnership.
"We are excited to welcome Shawn to GAI as an industry fellow as he brings extensive networks and a wealth of experience in delivering economic development and financial inclusion agendas focused on the Asia-Pacific region," she said.
"We look forward to working with Shawn to develop research, policy engagement and capacity building projects relevant to the APEC agenda."
FDC Executive Director Stephen Taylor said the partnership would focus on ways to help expand economic opportunity and resilience for those at the base of the economy across the Asia Pacific and FDC was pleased to work with Griffith on this important agenda.
"With 30 years' experience advancing inclusive economic development policy and practice, with industry networks across the Asia-Pacific region, and with APEC, we look forward to working with GAI to progress this initiative," FDC Executive Director Stephen Taylor said.
The collaboration will produce a range of high quality, policy relevant outputs including a series of research reports, case studies and policy briefing papers focused on financial inclusion and economic development across the APEC economies.
It aligns with the broader aspirations of both Griffith Business School and FDC to contribute to the advancement of the United Nations Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The initiative will draw on the capabilities of both FDC and GAI to deliver its objectives.
