The $177.5 million social bond will bundle loans to innovative companies in capital-scarce regions which operate in the financial inclusion, healthcare and WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) sectors, and that have a measurable, positive social impact.

Facebook is expanding its women-empowerment focused initiative, SheMeansBusiness, to bolster the financial inclusion and resiliency of women-led businesses in Pakistan. 

The European Investment Bank (EIB) extended a $50 million line of credit to Bank of Palestine to support the resilience of the Palestinian private sector through on-lending to local SMEs, as part of Team Europe’s overall response to the Covid-19 crisis.

The system's online authentication and e-KYC will enable a more seamless digital onboarding, making it easier for clients to open an account.

New legislation and regulatory changes in Egypt are set to unleash a surge in new fintech investments and change the way the country’s largely unbanked citizens do business, industry players say. 

The new policy aims at financial independence for people with disabilities by improving their access to banking services as well as providing opportunities to contribute as bank employees.

The financing is part of a program that supports policy measures to enable the rollout of the country’s social protection program, including the creation of digital IDs and cashless payments as part of cash transfer programs.

Small transfers of bitcoin to El Salvador jumped over four-fold in May from a year ago but still represent a small amount when compared to remittances sent in dollars.

The Bank of Thailand has been asked to review the ceiling of interest rates and supervise credit cards, personal loans and car loans, as the Thai government has vowed to tackle high household debt, incurred by credit card and personal loans.

Data from the State Bank of Vietnam shows that the number of non-cash transactions has been on a rise in Vietnam during the pandemic.