The National Bank of Samoa (nbs) is developing a suite of new banking products that would benefit women entrepreneurs and improve remittances in Samoa with the support of IFC and the New Zealand Government.

The product which was developed by the Pacific Insurance and Climate Adaptation Programme, will be piloted in Samoa over the next 12 months.

International Finance Corporation will invest up to $4 million equivalent in Samoan Tala to boost access to finance for small and medium enterprises particularly women-led businesses and SMEs focused on agriculture.

The new national digital payment platform, the Samoa Automated Transfer System (SATS), is expected to increase access to the financial system for all Samoans.

Microfinance-supported entrepreneurs have exhibited the same resourcefulness that has characterized many other small businesses during the pandemic. At the same time, they face a variety of ongoing challenges.

The bank will work in partnership with local banks and financial institutions using best practices in microfinance for provision of Islamic banking services, and will apply an integrated system of financial and non-financial services to support value and supply chains for MSMEs.

The initiative aims to help clients and communities by providing blended financial and non-financial digital services including advisory services, training and more to assure ease of access to e-money and transfers for its customers.

The Humanitarian Transfers Platform enables humanitarian agencies to execute transfers directly to their interventions beneficiaries without a third party.

The National Cash Transfer Company piloted the Door to Door Payment method as a response to the new challenging context and a preventive measure for coronavirus-related risks.

Cash transfers from Yemenis abroad to their country have declined by 80 percent in the first four months of 2020, Oxfam announced on Thursday.