NextBillion - A WDI Publication

Organizations collect enormous amounts of data, through surveys, applications, programs, interviews, reports, and feedback. Much of that knowledge remains trapped in silos. The result is fragmented information when organizations need connected insight.

This 30-minute webinar explores how to build context into your data so information collected by one team can become useful intelligence for others, with the right permissions and governance. We’ll look at how connecting data and definitions transforms isolated data points into organizational knowledge that teams—and AI—can actually use.

30-Minute Webinar Flow

1. The problem: How valuable organizational knowledge gets fragmented across teams, systems, spreadsheets, and reports.

2. Context is what turns data into intelligence. What “context” means: who, what, when, where, why, program, outcome, relationship, and definition.

3. How to build the context layer. A practical approach to connecting data across programs while maintaining ownership, permissions, definitions, and governance.

4. From “my team’s data” to “our organizational intelligence”. How shared context enables people to discover insights they could not see and creates a stronger foundation for AI.

5. Q&A

Time: 12:00

Join us on 13 October in Chicago for 2X Global Investor Meetup, hosted in partnership with Conlon Public Strategies

Join 2X Global and Conlon Public Strategies for an evening of connection and conversation alongside SOCAP in Chicago.

We are bringing together investors, fund managers, 2X Global members and ecosystem partners to exchange perspectives on gender-smart investing, climate finance and inclusive capital. The evening will be an opportunity to connect with peers, share ideas and explore opportunities to advance investment approaches that deliver meaningful gender and climate outcomes.

Time: 17:30 – 19:30

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) are not just basic needs – they are fundamental to health, dignity, and sustainable development. Yet in 2026, billions of people worldwide still lack safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, while climate change, population growth, and fragile infrastructure make the challenge ever more urgent.

The e-MFP & Aqua for all WASH Action Group has largely focused on how to scale WASH finance – and measuring its impact via financial providers and SMEs.

But unlike a microloan or insurance product, supporting vulnerable populations via WASH involves actual, physical products as well as finance. And there are innovations everywhere in how these products are designed, delivered and monitored.

So for the last webinar of 2026, we thought we’d take a different look at this issue: which technologies actually lower the cost of serving low-income households with water and sanitation, and when resources are finite, what should we prioritise?

Join us to hear from leading voices from Boreal Light, UPTIME, Aqua for All, GSMA and more for a “world café” style Webinar, that will cover satellite tech, sensors and smart metering, desalination solutions, digital utilities and more.

Time: 9:00 AM EDT

Siemens Stiftung (foundation), together with ICLEI Europe and the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre, is pleased to invite you to the upcoming webinar, “From Pilots to Pathways: Entrepreneurial Lessons from Africa’s Smart Energy Sector”.

About the Event
The webinar will include an open panel discussion exploring the experiences, opportunities and challenges involved in scaling sustainable energy business models across Africa.

Over four years, the Smart Energy Solutions for Africa (SESA) project brought together partners and entrepreneurs to develop, test, and strengthen sustainable energy solutions in different African contexts. Although the project officially concluded in October 2025, the experiences and knowledge generated through this collaboration remain highly relevant.

Date: Thursday, October 15, 2026
Time: 14:00 CEST
Format: Zoom

Drawing on the Siemens Stiftung publication “From Pilots to Pathways: Founder Lessons from Testing Smart Energy Business Models Across Africa,” the panellists will share the stories behind their work: what they tested, what they learned and what it takes to turn promising ideas into viable and sustainable businesses.

The conversation will offer practical insights for entrepreneurs, partners and organisations supporting innovation in Africa’s energy sector.

We are pleased to welcome the following panellists:
Vincenzo Lorusso, European Commission
Brian Andaje, We! Hub Limited, Kenya
Okey Esse, CEO, Powerstove Nigeria
Magdalena Sikorowska, ICLEI European Secretariat, Brussels
Moderated by:
Lakshmi Bhamidipati, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre
Elisabeth Biber, Senior Project Manager, Siemens Stiftung
Opening Remarks:
Dr. Nina Smidt, CEO and Spokesperson of the Board, Siemens Stiftung
Whether you were part of the SESA journey, are building an energy enterprise, or work to support entrepreneurs and sustainable energy solutions across Africa, we would be delighted to welcome you to the conversation.

We look forward to reconnecting with SESA partners and colleagues, and to exchanging ideas with entrepreneurs and other stakeholders to advance sustainable energy solutions across Africa.

Time: 8:00 AM EDT

Last year, 760 attendees called in online and attended in person for IF25.

In 2026, we’re excited to welcome you once more to one of the world’s leading gatherings in financial inclusion!

Formerly known as European Microfinance Week (EMW), the event has over two decades evolved to become a core international event, gathering experts from around the world and mapping out the future of the industry.

The IF26 agenda will feature topics from previous years (gender finance and green and climate finance), sector trends identified in e-MFP’s Financial Inclusion Compass 2026 (changing funding landscape and emerging technologies like AI) and the theme of this year’s Luxembourg Award for Inclusive Finance, youth-inclusive finance.

What’s next?

Sponsorship:

Explore the sponsorship packages available here and find out how you can best showcase your association while becoming part a core part of IF26.

Would you like to support IF26? Reach out to Maria (molle@e-mfp.eu).

Registration

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On December 9, the FinEquity Africa community will convene virtually to examine the persistent barriers that continue to limit women’s financial inclusion in the region. Women in Sub Saharan Africa remain 12 percentage points less likely than men to own a financial account, a gap that has more than doubled over the past decade, even as developing economies globally have made progress. Limited digital access, restrictive social and gender norms, and financial products that do not reflect women’s needs continue to constrain meaningful inclusion.

This year’s session will place particular emphasis on young women, exploring the challenges they face as they enter the financial system, build livelihoods, and make critical economic decisions. The discussion will focus on how practitioners, funders, policymakers, and other stakeholders can work together to ensure that young women are not left behind, and that financial inclusion strengthens economic agency and resilience across generations.

Originally planned as an in-person convening in Nairobi, the event will now bring the full FinEquity Africa community together online. Drawing on the latest evidence, including the Global Findex 2025, participants will explore what is working, where gaps remain. A dedicated workshop will offer space to identify priorities, share practical experiences, and explore partnerships and actionable solutions to address persistent barriers, particularly those affecting young women.