MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Copal App to Help Parents, Youth in Egypt to Manage Finances via Mastercard Payment Network

Copal, an Egypt-based financial technology (fintech) firm, recently entered a partnership with US-based payment processing corporation Mastercard to launch an app that helps families in Egypt to make payments and otherwise manage their finances. Plans for the app include

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Central Bank Digital Currencies: A New Tool in the Financial Inclusion Toolkit?”; by Raphael Auer et al; Published by Bank for International Settlements, World Bank Group

The authors of this study interviewed representatives of nine central banks that are at various stages of exploring the possible creation of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) with the goal of increasing financial inclusion. Among the barriers to financial inclusion CBDCs might address are:

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Logiq Launching “Super App” in Indonesia to Unite Payment, Microloan, Food Delivery, Insurance, Telemedicine Services

Logiq, a US-based technology services provider, recently unveiled plans to launch an as-yet unnamed “super app” in Indonesia to unify several planned new functions along with its existing payment service PayLogiq and food delivery service GoLogiq. Among the future services is a microlending platform, for which

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Fairbanc Raises Equity from Accion, ADB, East Ventures, Sampoerna Group to Boost Lending, Payment Systems for MSMEs in Indonesia

Fairbanc, a US-based lender and payment facilitator for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia, recently raised pre-Series A equity of

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Institution VisionFund, UK Department for International Development (DFID) to Expand Mobile Banking in Rural Myanmar

VisionFund Myanmar, a microfinance institution (MFI) operating within the nonprofit VisionFund International, is partnering with the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) on a USD 1.7 million project to expand mobile banking in Myanmar. The effort is intended to provide

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Woman-owned Fintech Tez of Pakistan, Green Girls Organization of Cameroon Win $200k in Visa Everywhere Initiative

Tez Financial Services, a private firm in Pakistan, and Green Girls Organization, an NGO in Cameroon, each recently won prizes of USD 100,000 in the inaugural iteration of the Women’s Global Edition of the Visa Everywhere Initiative, a program of US-based payments technology company Visa that is intended to