Millions of people interact with banks, mobile wallets and microfinance providers every day without ever being sure their rights are actually protected - or without being able to access those services at all. This course from the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy looks at both sides of that problem together: how regulators and institutions protect financial consumers, and how they extend financial access to those currently left out.

Drawing on global case studies and real regulatory practice, participants examine the relationship between financial well-being, market conduct, and inclusive finance, rather than treating consumer protection and inclusion as two separate policy tracks.

Who Should Attend

• Financial regulators, central bank staff and policymakers shaping financial-sector rules.
• Microfinance, banking and fintech/digital finance professionals.
• NGO representatives, civil society and consumer protection advocates working on financial inclusion.
• Academics and students in economics, law and public policy.

Programme Outcomes

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:

• Explain the core concepts, regulatory frameworks and guiding principles of financial consumer protection and inclusion.
• Evaluate financial products and services from a consumer-protection lens, including fair pricing and disclosure.
• Identify the barriers underserved populations face in accessing finance, and design responses.
• Develop strategies for responsible financial innovation and digital inclusion.
• Assess consumer risk and recommend appropriate redress and complaint mechanisms.
• Design and monitor national or institutional financial inclusion action plans.

Module 1: Consumer Rights and Market Conduct

• Core consumer rights: choice, information, redress
• Common misconduct: mis-selling, overcharging
• Financial literacy and informed decision-making
• Responsibilities of financial service providers

Module 2: Building Inclusive Financial Systems

• Barriers to inclusion: geography, gender, income
• Financial infrastructure and ID systems
• National financial inclusion strategies and their social/economic impact

Module 3: Financial Products and Risk Disclosure

• Common products: loans, savings, insurance, payments
• Fair pricing and disclosure requirements
• Suitability, affordability and product transparency

Module 4: The Legal and Regulatory Foundation

• Core definitions, principles and the business case for consumer protection
• The inclusion-protection nexus and global initiatives (G20, World Bank, OECD)
• International best practices (Basel) and the role of central banks and regulators
• Market conduct vs prudential regulation, and laws protecting vulnerable consumers

Module 5: Technology, Innovation and Digital Inclusion

• Fintech's role in advancing inclusion; mobile money and digital wallets
• Risks in digital financial services
• Data privacy, cybersecurity and digital identity

Module 6: Grievance Redress and Dispute Resolution

• Internal and external complaint mechanisms
• Financial Ombudsman schemes and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
• Accessibility and effectiveness of redress systems

Module 7: Consumer Empowerment, Education, Monitoring and Policy

• National financial literacy strategies and tools for behavioural change
• Targeted education for youth, women and MSMEs; role of civil society
• Measuring inclusion and protection (Findex, IMF indicators) and developing KPIs
• Impact assessment and evidence-based policy design