IFC invests $10m in FintechOS to boost financial inclusion globally

 FintechOS, the global technology provider for banks, insurers and other financial services companies, today announced a $10 million investment from the IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, as part of its $60 million Series B funding round. The investment will support FintechOS in boosting financial inclusion globally by helping institutions improve access to financial services, make them more affordable, and boost their impact on unbanked and underbanked communities. The IFC will also support FintechOS’s expansion strategy by facilitating partnerships with its extensive network of bank clients and partners. According to the World Bank, 1.7 billion people are unbanked. To better serve those financially excluded, financial institutions are investing in technology as part of wider digital transformation strategies. Instead of lengthy and laborious “rip and replace” digital transformation that require high levels of technology expertise and investment, FintechOS’ low-code, self-service approach empowers institutions to build, test and scale digital products for unbanked communities in weeks rather than months. The investment will help FintechOS bring agile and affordable technology solutions to all financial institutions, including those in the developing world, where IFC has a sizeable footprint. FintechOS’ approach helps institutions boost financial inclusion in the following ways:

• Increase accessibility - Low-income households and small firms often struggle to access financial institutions through traditional channels like branches. Remote access to digital financial services can dramatically accelerate inclusion. By empowering commercial teams at institutions to develop digital products using low-code technology, FintechOS can make financial services more accessible to those financially excluded.
• Boost affordability - Financial services are often too expensive for low-income households and small firms. By lowering the cost of technology and improving operational efficiencies, FintechOS helps institutions to build services more cost effectively, and pass these savings onto customers.
• Improve impact - Individuals and businesses need specialised services that boost impact by tackling the specific and nuanced needs of certain communities. Building such tailored products has not been commercially viable for many institutions. FintechOS’ approach not only makes building specialist products feasible, its Evolutive Data Core can help institutions isolate and identify previously unknown customer issues specific to the unbanked and underbanked.

“Digital financial services are critical to boosting financial inclusion and driving inclusive growth. While the pandemic has increased the use of these services, it has also highlighted that many financial institutions are struggling to overcome the digital transformation challenges necessary to include the financially excluded,” said Henrik Bläute, Investment Officer, IFC. “Following extensive due diligence, IFC chose to invest in FintechOS because we recognize its potential to expedite the change that is happening in the financial services industry globally. By accelerating digitalisation, financial institutions will be able to serve more unbanked and underbanked individuals and communities.” “Today financial technology is too often an inhibitor rather than an enabler of inclusion. Financial institutions both large and small simply don’t have the right tools at the right price point to meet market demands. Powerful emerging technologies like low-code just aren’t being utilised. And this impacts those at the bottom of the pyramid most acutely,” said Teodor Blidarus, co-Founder and CEO at FintechOS. “Our unique approach to financial technology is designed to overcome many of the barriers institutions face in serving those financially excluded. Banks, insurers and fintechs can now use the latest technologies to build hyperspecialized offerings that are commercially viable and meet the specific needs of unbanked and underbanked communities. With the investment and support of the IFC, we are making it our mission to ensure individuals across the globe have access to financial services they need to not just survive but thrive.” “Over the last few years, government, corporate and investment stakeholders have been engaged in an increasingly intense dialogue around ESG, and specifically, tackling financial inclusion in-line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals,” said Sergiu Negut, Co-Founder, CFO & COO at FintechOS. “Despite this focus there are too few concrete steps being made to bring simple, clear, easy to access digital financial services to everyone, everywhere. With IFC’s global investment footprint, this partnership will enable more banks and financial institutions around the world to build these essential solutions and integrate them in existing ecosystems at pace.”  FintechOS’ Series B round was led by Draper Esprit, and in addition to the IFC, existing investors Earlybird Digital East, Gapminder Ventures, LAUNCHub Ventures, and OTB Ventures also participated in the USD 60 million (EUR51 million) round.