the mif blog

In early 2016, members of the Rockefeller Foundation got together with the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), the innovation lab for the Inter-American Development Bank Group, and established that they were both working to support social innovation labs and organizations, yet neither had the full picture.  With the MIF’s geographic focus only on Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and Rockefeller’s preference for Africa and Asia, each organization was missing out on a global perspective.  So, the idea of co-organizing a global summit of social innovation organizations was launched.

Gender equality is no longer a choice for companies. It is not only about fairness, but about business success.

Comenzó el proyecto Plataforma de préstamo online para startups (compañías con menos de tres años en funcionamiento) y scaleups (compañías con más de dos años de vida) innovadoras   en Colombia, que se propone cambiar el mapa de financiamiento para estas compañías. Este nuevo proyecto será llevado a cabo por SEMPLI S.AS una disruptiva plataforma de financiamiento online que incorpora los siguientes elementos diferenciadores respecto a la banca tradicional: - fácil acceso a través  del uso de una innovadora metodología, proceso y herramienta de scoring; - mayor agilidad dado que la solicitud de préstamo y análisis de financiación  se hará en unas pocas horas; - mejor relación costo-beneficio, puesto que el costo del crédito serán acorde con la moderada estructura operativa de la plataforma, y - mayor conveniencia al estar disponible las 24hs, sin necesidad de visitas físicas y altos requerimientos de documentos.

When it comes to financial inclusion, the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region is no stranger to innovations coming from the outset of the formal financial sector. In fact, microcredit and agent banking are prime examples that illustrate the willingness of both regulated and non-regulated institutions to adopt creative new solutions in the quest to improve access and quality of financial services for certain underserved sectors of the population. Successful innovations such as this have become intricately woven into the fabric of formal financial systems in the region. However, in the case of Fintech, the situation is different. A Fintech innovation goes beyond simply improving an existing financial service or enhancing back-office operations; it can be way more disruptive, nimble and massive than that. It can create an entirely new type of institution or even a completely new concept, testing new ways altogether for interacting with clients.

Payments are nowadays widely considered to be gateways for financial inclusion. Withdrawing money or repaying a loan are basic financial transactions without which traditional financial products like credit, savings and insurance would not be possible.