KARACHI - State Bank of Pakistan Governor Syed Salim Raza will inaugurate the Pakistan Branchless Banking Conference at SBP Learning Resource Centre, Karachi, on April 17 at 9.30am. The one-day conference, which is being organized by the State Bank in collaboration with UK Aid, will highlight the existing branchless banking developments in Pakistan, showcase the state of industry preparedness and catalyse the investments and product innovation. Salim Raza will deliver his keynote address at the conference on the 'Need for Alternative Delivery Channels in Improving Access to Finance. The leading and renowned international and local experts and practitioners on Branchless Banking including technology experts from the World Banks Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) will attend the conference as speakers and panelists. The conference will also be attended by 200 participants primarily from the banking sector, mobile operators, technology companies, agent networks, regulators, government and donors. The conference would help in enhancing coordination among all the stake holders and create synergies that will benefit from the collective wisdom and experiences of the participants. It may be mentioned here that the State Bank has been promoting use of alternative delivery channels to enhance financial services to people without access to finance, which is recognized as one of the fundamental constraints in achieving sustainable economic growth in many developing countries. SBP has issued Branchless Banking Regulations and is providing technology related technical assistance grants under the capacity building components of the Financial Inclusion Program.