Researchers on the Kenyan financial sector are scheduled to meet next week when they will be presenting papers highlighting opportunities that can be harnessed by the banking sector to support a strong and sustainable economic recovery in light of the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.
The papers will be presented at the 10th Annual Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) Research Conference scheduled to run from September 22 to Septemer 24, 2021.
The three-day forum themed ‘’Banking Beyond Covid-19: Risk Assessment, Balance Sheet Adjustments and Exploring Options and Pathways to a Strong and Sustainable Economic Recovery“, will be opened by Central Bank of Kenya Deputy Governor Mrs. Sheila M’Mbijjewe and attended by bankers, researchers, financial sector players, policy makers and academia.
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It will feature nine presentations focused on examining ways in which the COVID19 pandemic has altered traditional risk assessment as well as bank balance sheet adjustments, triggered by heightened uncertainty as a result of the pandemic-led economic disruption.
KBA Chief Executive Officer Dr. Habil Olaka said the conference will provide a forum to discuss the short, medium, and longer-term effects of the pandemic on the economy at both aggregate and sectoral levels.
‘’The forum will aim to enrich understanding of the real economy and financial sector interactions, risk assessment and its mitigation in an environment of extreme uncertainty associated with the pandemic, and a review of the economic policy and banking sector response to the effects of the pandemic,’’ he said.
The channels to a quick economic recovery that the conference will look into include identifying the policy and market conditions for credit growth while also espousing any new opportunities and developments presented by the pandemic. This year, the conference will feature authors from KBA’s Centre for Research on Financial Markets and Policy, Financial Sector Deepening Africa (FSDA), Strathmore University, Embu University, NCBA Bank and the Central Bank of Kenya.
