The investment, brokered by CARE Social Ventures, will significantly expand efforts to ensure women and girls have the digital and financial access they need to thrive in today’s world.

Licensed digital/online money lenders, who are diverting from the newly issued digital lending guidelines issued in March by the Uganda Microfinance Regulatory Authority (Umra), risk having their licenses revoked, the sector regulator has warned.

The Female Entrepreneurship Fund is a specialized investment vehicle that channels resources from institutional investors to support women entrepreneurs in the Central American Integration System (Sica) region.

This partnership is poised to significantly narrow the financial inclusion gap, streamlining the processes of money transfer, savings, and credit accessibility for individuals.

Paymentology, the leading global issuer-processor, today announces an expanded partnership with Mastercard to bolster financial inclusion across Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.

The grant will allow Opportunity International to provide micro and small business loans, digital tools and specialized technical training to women-led small- and micro businesses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda.

Quest Digital Finance, a Ugandan tech company, is placing the power of banking and service delivery in the palms of the farmers and entrepreneurs using its digital platforms.

The commitments are part of Mastercard’s engagement, as a founding member, in the Partnership for Central America.

The new investments include a $5M local currency facility for Uganda from Nordic Microfinance Initiative (NMI), $6M from existing lender Symbiotics, and $1M from crowdfunding platform Lendahand, all to support growth in Uganda.

Opportunity International and Oikocredit will mobilize the funds over the next three years with an initial, near-term focus on Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and Uganda.