As this year’s Forum made clear, the underbanked financial services industry is in a period of progress. With the financial services landscape reconfigured by the economic downturn, participants looked to the future to explore innovative tools and effective approaches to meeting the needs of underbanked consumers. Forum participants continued to express interest in learning about the newest technological innovations in products and services for the underbanked. They explored strategies for helping consumers improve their financial behavior and meet their financial goals. Additionally, attendees discussed the potential mutual rewards that can be had by developing broader customer relationships with the underbanked.
These approaches suggest that the industry is eager to create a new path for the underbanked in today’s economic marketplace. A greater focus on understanding and delivering value to the consumer is apparent. This development represents another step in the maturation of the underbanked financial services market, as more and increasingly diverse suppliers apply innovative thinking to meet the financial services needs of underbanked consumers. The Forum’s forward-looking orientation suggest that further progress lies ahead, bringing a more robust, well-designed array of financial services options to underbanked consumers.