Thematic Seminar

Financial Services: Trade, Inclusion and Accessibility

Annotated Agenda^*

1.  Socio-economic inclusion and accessibility are important issues at the forefront of WTO efforts to pursue better trade outcomes for every Member. Given the importance of financial services, both as an economic sector in its own right and a key intermediary for economic activity around the world, it is important to better understand some of the sector-specific implications of these issues. Accordingly, the Committee on Trade in Financial services agreed to hold a thematic seminar to discuss the opportunities and challenges with addressing these issues in the unique regulatory context of the financial services sector.

2.  The Committee has a mandate to serve as a forum for technical discussions and examination of regulatory developments affecting financial services trade. In line with this mandate, the Committee would be a good place to discuss the growing impacts of financial services trade on inclusivity and equality for under-represented groups and on facilitating trade accessibility. Members would stand to benefit from deepening the discussion on the financial services aspects of these policy issues.

3.  An agenda for the seminar, "Financial Services: Trade, Inclusion and Accessibility", is attached to this communication. The presentations discussed in the Annex would be made by national regulators of interested Members, private sector representatives of banking and insurance services, academics and officials from relevant international organizations.