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Artificial Intelligence (AI), including Machine Learning (ML), is one of the technologies reshaping the financial sector, including insurance. AI has the potential to significantly improve the delivery of financial services to consumers as well as the operational and risk management processes within firms, which can present many opportunities for expanding financial inclusion.

Delivering financial inclusion is a core principle of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) given its role in eradicating poverty. Africa is particularly impacted, given that half of the population is without access to formal financial services. Access to bank accounts hovers at 40%, while insurance accounts for just 3% of GDP, against a global average of 7%. However, recent technological developments have led to the financial system becoming more accessible, to low-income populations than ever before. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, the growth of mobile penetration rates has risen to over 43%, providing a crucial platform for the digital expansion of financial services.