On November 18th in Nairobi, Kenya, FSD Kenya and the New America Foundation held a half-day industry workshop to discuss innovations in access and development of savings in Kenya. The event was attended by practitioners, donors, researchers and networks working in the field of financial services or financial inclusion in Kenya.

The workshop presented the initial findings from the savings landscape study recently conducted in Kenya by the SPINNAKER (Savings for the Poor Innovation and Knowledge Network) Project. The study collected data on 103 savings products across 31 financial institutions and showcased an interactive demo of the Project’s new global platform on savings products for the poor, with emphasis on data from the Kenyan market. In particular, the workshop examined the following key issues and recent trends:

• Access to financial services in Kenya

• Diversity of different financial service providers and savings vehicles

• M-PESA's impact on the financial and savings landscape

• Regulatory issues relating to agents networks, SACCOs, and others

Thanks to all who attended and FSD Kenya for their help in organizing the event.