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The keynote presentation titled "Breaking Barriers — Empowering the Unbanked with Innovative Tech" by Bernard Banta at RubyConf TH 2023 delves into the critical issue of financial exclusion affecting 1.4 billion adults globally. Banta, a technology expert from Fin Plus Group in Nairobi, Kenya, discusses the role of technology in providing banking services to the unbanked population. Despite rapid technological advancement, a significant number of people remain unbanked, often due to barriers such as limited access to financial infrastructure, low digital literacy, and high transaction fees.

Key Points:
- **Introduction to the Unbanked Crisis**: Banta highlights that 1.4 billion adults are financially excluded, drawing comparisons to social media user statistics to emphasize the vastness of this issue.
- **Challenges Faced by the Unbanked**: He outlines several challenges, including inadequate banking infrastructure, high costs associated with accessing financial services, poor connectivity (especially in remote areas), and reliance on outdated mobile technology (feature phones).
- **Use of USSD Technology**: Banta proposes the use of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) as a viable solution for banking the unbanked. He explains how USSD can allow users on feature phones to access banking services by dialing short codes that communicate with a backend system.
- **Workflow Management for Banking Processes**: He emphasizes the importance of structuring banking procedures into a simplified tree-like workflow. This approach aids in managing user interactions smoothly, from account opening to loan applications.
- **Team Collaboration in Development**: Banta discusses how breaking down processes into individual components can enhance team collaboration. By ensuring a clear separation of functions, developers can focus on specific features and improve overall efficiency.

In conclusion, Banta urges the audience to consider existing technologies like USSD before rushing into new tech tools, stressing the importance of addressing real-world problems faced by millions. His talk serves as a call to action for developers and tech innovators to focus on empowering the unbanked with accessible and innovative technology solutions.

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