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 is the first time that a rating agency specializing in microfinance has been authorized in Panama to rate regulated financial institutions in the country.

The investment will allow Banistmo to address two development challenges simultaneously by reducing the financing gap for SMEs and addressing the country's housing deficit.

The FINNIX mobile app, which is regulated by the Bank of Thailand, was developed by MONIX and offers microfinance loans through a completely digital process from loan application to approval and disbursement.

The investment aims to support a resilient recovery by promoting business growth, creating jobs, and fostering financial inclusion.

Ongoing shifts toward e-commerce, digital payments (including contactless), and instant payments have all been significantly boosted during the pandemic with real-time payments surging by 104 percent.

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.

Notwithstanding border restrictions, the region’s digital payments ecosystem is growing as countries collaborate to connect their domestic payment systems.

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, provided Banco General, S.A., a loan of $150 million for mortgage lending for low and middle-income families in Panama, at the end of 2019.

Aligned with its social purpose and in light of COVID-19’s progress in Latin America, BBVA Microfinance Foundation’s six institutions in five countries in the region have adopted urgent and necessary measures to help its 2.2 million clients cope with this situation.