On October 2-3, the first Access to Finance (A2F) fair was held in Kabul, Afghanistan. The A2F was organized by the USAID Financial Access for Investing in the Development of Afghanistan (FAIDA) project with support from Crimson Capital and the Afghanistan Banks Association (ABA) and hosted more than 1,500 visitors and guests during the two-day event.

The goal of the A2F was to connect the financial institutions of Afghanistan with enterprises looking to source finance in order to expand their businesses. Thirty-seven financial Institution (banks, microfinance institutions, insurance companies, mobile network operators and other organizations) exhibited their products and services to more than 1,500 business and guests from all regions of Afghanistan. In addition, the A2F provided a platform for businesses to explore available financial products in Afghanistan, and to learn how to effectively access various loan and credit products. The A2F also hosted numerous workshops on relevant financial topics, such as Access to Finance for Women, Construction Finance, Trade Finance, Leasing, Insurance, and others.

The A2F was opened by Omar Zakhilwal, Minister of Finance of Afghanistan; Anwar Ul Haq Ahadi, Minister of Commerce and Industry of Afghanistan; Noorullah Delawari, Governor of Da Afghanistan Central Bank, Khalil Sediq, Chairman of Afghanistan Banks Association; and Ken Yamashita, USAID Afghanistan Mission Director.