Statement by the UPU Deputy Director General Pascal Clivaz at the Conference on postal regulation "Shaping postal financial services in a digital economy: Regulatory and policy considerations", 24 October 2019, Berne, Switzerland
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the UPU Conference on postal regulation.
This important event is organized during every session under the umbrella of the Council of Administration and with the support and input of Committee 2.
The UPU provides the postal community with a unique platform to address all the strategic challenges our sector is facing, whether operational, commercial or regulatory.
During the Conference on postal regulation, we gather the stakeholders involved in designing, implementing and monitoring regulatory frameworks.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The theme of this conference will focus on postal financial services, continuing the discussion held in the POC in April, “Shaping postal financial services in a digital economy – New potential business opportunities for Posts”.
Financial services in the digital age have already led to Posts expanding their portfolio.
For some Posts, financial services can be seen as a unique opportunity to develop new products and revenue streams.
In some countries, as we will see today, governments focus on the use of postal financial services to meet the social needs of their citizens.
In this industry, Posts operate with different business models and in various regulatory environments.
The postal impact on financial inclusion, economic and social development and business and revenues vary from one country to another.
In this context, the regulatory framework plays an important role in creating an enabling environment.
This is why we are discussing the regulatory perspective and the role of the UPU.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The members of the first panel will present their opinions on the broader postal financial services including the main trends and developments in the current environment of digital disruption.
We know very well that postal financial services provide opportunities for citizens to access banking, and these services are not provided by other actors in the banking world.
The second panel examines the environmental changes in postal financial services and shares experiences concerning the regulatory aspects of this area.
Governments and regulatory bodies can create and strengthen the role of postal financial services in bringing increased stability to a policy of diversification and the provision of social services.
In this sense, today’s Conference addresses the regulation policy as well as explore the connection with the universal service obligation, also known as the USO.
I am very much interested in discussions about how Posts can move forward and embrace the emerging regulatory issues.
It is therefore implicit on the UPU to help shape the ideal international ecosystem for the future development of financial postal services.
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I encourage all participants to engage in this discussion.
I hope this is the start of our dialogue on the role of postal financial services and the potential benefits of including them as part of the USO.
I would also like to thank the panellists for their participation in this conference today, and our moderator, Mr. Jean-Paul Forceville.
I wish you an excellent conference and now I will hand over to Mr. Forceville.
Thank you.