Launch of Caribbean FinTech Sprint Bootcamp

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) Caribbean Office, in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago International Financial Centre (TTIFC), is excited to announce the launch of the Caribbean FinTech Sprint Bootcamp.

The event will take place from July 19th to 21st at One FinTech Avenue within the TTIFC offices. This Bootcamp marks the inaugural event hosted in the FinTech Innovation Center since its launch and is set to be a significant milestone in the journey towards a more inclusive digital finance ecosystem across the Caribbean.

The FinTech Sprint, focused this year on improving digital payment solutions, e-commerce expansion, and remote enrollment for DCash, recently concluded its call for solutions with an overwhelming international response. From an original pool of over 50 applicants, 13 promising applications have been advanced to an in-person Bootcamp phase, with a significant representation from the Caribbean region.

The finalists for each problem statement are as follows:

Problem Statement 1: Improving access to and usage of digital payment solutions for underserved users of Credit Unions

• MLajan Financial Technology Services Ltd (Dominica)
• Zeepay Ghana Limited (Ghana)
• Paymaster Limited (Trinidad and Tobago)
• mMoney Inc (Barbados)
• PayWise Limited (Trinidad and Tobago)
• Zed (Trinidad and Tobago)
• Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad and Tobago)

Problem Statement 2: Pilot/scale online marketplace and expand e-commerce solutions for smallholder farmers

• Unqueue Distributors Limited (Trinidad and Tobago)
• Nio Digital Limited (Trinidad and Tobago)
• MOEDA SEMENTE BRASIL MEIOS DE PAGAMENTOS LTDA (Brazil)

Problem Statement 3: Remote onboarding solution for Dcash

• Diagon Consulting Limited (USA)
• PayMedia (Pvt) Limited (Sri Lanka)
• Rhino Partners Pte Ltd (Singapore)

The Bootcamp will underscore the significance of financial inclusion in reducing crime, improving economic resilience, and the importance of regional collaboration. The event will provide an excellent platform to share Trinidad and Tobago and the OECS’s continual commitment to digital finance, inspire regional collaboration, and guide emerging FinTech solutions and the UNCDF values the role of participating governments in facilitating financial inclusion initiatives and believes that their commitment to promoting financial inclusion will enrich the quality of discussions and outcomes.

The Caribbean FinTech Sprint Bootcamp is part of the EU-UNCDF-OACP partnership for Digital Financial Inclusion launched in the Eastern Caribbean in February 2022. The programme operates in the region through three strategic pillars: Policy Acceleration, Financing Sprints for Financial Inclusion, and Direct Assistance for Digital Finance Policymakers.

For more information about the Caribbean FinTech Sprint Bootcamp or the UNCDF’s financial inclusion initiatives, please contact the UNCDF Caribbean Office.

About UNCDF

The UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s least developed countries. It creates new opportunities for poor people and their communities by increasing access to microfinance and investment capital. UNCDF focuses on Africa and the poorest countries of Asia and the Pacific, with a special commitment to countries emerging from conflict or crisis. It provides seed capital – grants and loans – and technical support to help microfinance institutions reach more poor households and small businesses, and local governments finance the capital investments – water systems, feeder roads, schools, irrigation schemes – that will improve poor peoples’ lives.