Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to support the provision of affordable micro-level insurance services in developing countries.

In support of the Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 8, DFID is committed to ensuring that individuals in developing countries have access to affordable and appropriate financial services, including in insurance.

DFID supports the creation of an enabling environment for insurance services in developing countries through our funding to Financial Sector Deepening Africa who are working with local insurance regulators to adopt more effective policy frameworks and digitally-enabled product innovations.

We are also funding the World Bank’s Harnessing Innovation in Financial Inclusion programme. This seven-year programme is aimed at enabling financial inclusion on a sustainable basis, using technology to help poor people in developing countries access and use financial services.