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New Partnership with the Foundation
for Development Cooperation

31 Oct 2018

The Australian APEC Study Centre and the Foundation for Development

Cooperation signed a Memorandum of Understanding, strengthening 

collaboration between the two organisations. 

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Michelle Currie, CEO of the Foundation for Development Cooperation, and Professor Andrew MacIntyre, Director of the Australian APEC Study Centre, signing the MoU. 

Michelle Currie, CEO of the Foundation for Development Cooperation (FDC),  and Professor Andrew MacIntyre, Director of the Australian APEC Study Centre (AASC), met at RMIT University to sign the agreement. 


Professor Andrew MacIntyre remarked on the excitement of upcoming collaborations between the AASC and FDC. Michelle Currie noted that AASC at RMIT is the only academic institution that FDC has a formalised relationship. 


The MoU between the two organisations will enable greater collaboration to address financial inclusion issues in the Asia Pacific region. FDC aims to contribute to building prosperity in the Asia Pacific region, leading ultimately to a reduction in the incidence of poverty and promotion of equitable growth while the AASC promotes international cooperation and economic well-being in the Asia-Pacific region.


Financial inclusion is key issue for APEC and ABAC. According to the World Bank, about 1.7 billion adults do not use banking services. FDC brings over 25 years of experience of working in the region on these issues, including through its Banking with the Poor Network, the largest regional microfinance network in Asia. 


AASC provides research and capacity building expertise with past research including the Paypal E-readiness Index and delivering workshops on digital financial literacy. Working together will allow both organisations to be more effective in driving policy change in APEC and enhancing financial inclusion in the Asia Pacific region.

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