Toronto Centre - Strengthening Financial Sector Supervision and Regulation 2018-2023

This grant represents Canada’s long-term institutional support to Toronto Centre. Toronto Centre uses these funds along with other donors’ funding to achieve its mandate. Toronto Centre’s mandate is to enhance the capacity of financial regulators and supervisors around the globe particularly in emerging markets and developing countries to contribute to deeper more inclusive and more stable financial systems which lead to sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction. This project aims to reduce poverty and empower women to participate in the economic lives of their families and communities and contribute to broad economic growth and lasting change by increasing women’s access to financial services including banking investment instruments credit and insurance. Project activities include: (1) improving data on the gender gap and conducting training and policy dialogue with partners to increase women’s access to and control over financial resources; (2) removing regulatory barriers that limit women’s rights to financial services; and (3) increasing women’s participation in decision-making at senior levels in national level financial regulation and supervision.

The expected outcomes as stated by Toronto Centre include: (1) strengthened gender responsive financial sector supervision and regulation in official development assistance countries (ODA); (2) increased effectiveness of financial sector supervisory regulatory personnel who support financial stability and financial inclusion for women and girls; and (3) enhanced application of gender responsive supervisory and regulatory frameworks structures and associated policies and practices by financial supervisory and regulatory agencies.