(Bogota, August 29, 2023). CAF is organizing the fourth edition of the Financial Inclusion Lab (LIF 2023), an initiative that seeks to support and promote the Fintech ecosystem and this year is looking for technological solutions that are contributing to the inclusion and strengthening of financial capabilities of migrant populations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

LIF 2023 has the following three categories:

Solutions to improve the financial and digital education and capabilities of migrants.

Solutions for the design of financial products and services for migrants.

Solutions with an impact on the entrepreneurial capacity of migrants and the productivity of their MSMEs.

Funding and acceleration

The initiatives presented at LIF 2023 (LINK) will have a wide variety of funding and acceleration possibilities, including the following:

The 10 winning proposals will participate in the Endeavor or Seedstars acceleration programs, which will begin in January 2024.

The 20 finalist startups will receive access to free content from Seedstars, with which they will do their own onboarding to technology tools.

All LIF 2023 participants will have the possibility to enter a funding round, subject to a show of interest from the stakeholders involved. In addition, they will be able to enter MentorDay and use a scoring service to evaluate the applications submitted.

Important dates

The deadline for submitting projects will be from August 28 to October 13, 2023 at 23:59 hours Colombia time.

The review of the projects will take place between October 16 and November 22, 2023.

The Financial Inclusion Lab organization will inform the contestants about the shortlisted proposals on November 30, 2023.

Pitch presentation & matchmaking event: December 13, 2023.

Acceleration activities by Seedstars and Endeavor: January 16 to May 16, 2024.

Partners

LIF 2023 brings together more than 80 partners from the public and private sectors, investors and entrepreneurs to promote business opportunities, encourage interaction among members of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and provide concrete solutions to the financial inclusion issues raised in the initiative's guidelines.

Aceleradoras: Endeavor y Seedstars.

Aliados regionales: Mastercard, Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (OIM), ACNUR - UNHCR Regional Bureau for the Americas, Hola América (Ashoka), WOCCU, Felaban, Latimpacto, FintechU.

Aliados por país:

Argentina: Banco Ciudad, Banco Central de Argentina, Ministerio de Economía, PNUD Accelerator Lab

Bolivia: Banco Central, FINRURAL, Innova UP-CAINCO, Pista 8, SOLYDES

Brasil: Banco Central de Brasil

Chile: Banco Estado, Asociación Fintech, BCI Chile

Colombia: Asociación Bancaria de Colombia, Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá, Colombia Fintech, Proantioquia, Superintendencia Financiera, ILO/OIT, PNUD Colombia

Costa Rica: Centro de Innovación Financiera, Banco para el Desarrollo, Banco Central de Costa Rica

Ecuador: AEI: Alianza para el Emprendimiento y la Innovación, Asobanca Ecuador, Cluster financiero, RFD: Red de Instituciones Financieras de Desarrollo, SEPS: Superintendencia de Economía Popular y Solidaria, Fundación Telefónica Movistar Ecuador, UPS: Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, Escuela Politécnica Nacional (UPN), Buenavista Capital Partners (BCP), Instituto Tecnológico Universitario ISMAC

El Caribe: TTIFC

El Salvador: ASAFintech - El Salvador

México: Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores de México, AMEXCAP: Asociación Mexicana de Capital Privado, Alianza por la Inversión de Impacto México (AIIMx), Fintech México

Panamá: AMPYME-Panamá, AEI: Alianza para el Emprendimiento y la Innovación Cámara, Mercantil Servicios Financieros Internacional, REDPAMIF: Red de Microfinanzas de Panamá

Paraguay: Ministerio de Hacienda de Paraguay, Asoban Paraguay, Personal, Ministerio TIC de Paraguay, Banco GNB, Banco Itaú, Banco Atlas, Universidad Comunero

Perú: Asbanc Perú, Superintendencia de Bancos de Perú, COFIDE.

República Dominicana: Banco Central de República Dominicana, Ministerio De Industria, Comercio Y MiPymes de República Dominicana, Nader Enterprises y Pa'Lante Dominicana, Venture.do, Agrega Partners, Adofintech - Asociación Dominicana de Fintech

Trinidad y Tobago: TTIFC

Uruguay: Banco Central del Uruguay, Centro Ithaka de Emprendimientos e Innovación, Banco República Uruguay.

Venezuela: Fundación Ideas, Impact Hub Caracas, Wave Hub, IESA, MPPEFCE// Emprende Juntos, UCAB, Servicio Jesuita de Refugiados.