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.

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

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

The Executive Director of Association of Microfinance Institutions said that a total amount ranging between RWF 4 billion ($4M) and RWF 5 billion ($5M) has been channeled through microfinance institutions to help small businesses recover from COVID-19 effects.

The cryptocurrency will lose its reputation as a speculative asset and prove its use as a legitimate payment system, central bank President Douglas Rodriguez said in an interview on Monday.

The four-year partnership will help expand access to long-term local currency finance in Rwanda for key sectors such as housing, agribusiness, and smaller businesses.

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 financing package aims to support micro, small and medium enterprises, women-owned SMEs, housing for underserved segments, and climate-smart investments, including green buildings.

In effort to safeguard employees and clients, the Association of Microfinance Institutions in Rwanda (AMIR) instituted various measures to raise awareness about the virus and control its spread in the industry.

The National Bank of Rwanda has instructed mobile network operators to waive charges on all transfers with bank wallets, person-to-person and merchant fees on payments.