Assessing the landscape of fintech accelerators in emerging markets
In emerging markets, inclusive fintech startups are creating accessible, affordable, and appropriate financial solutions for the underserved. These startups are nimble and impact-driven, making them well-positioned to deliver tailored financial solutions aimed at improving the financial health of underserved customers. In order to supercharge their efforts, there has been a significant surge in fintech accelerators and the services they provide. Catalyst Fund is designed to be a bespoke accelerator program for inclusive fintech startups that tailors its acceleration services to the needs of the startup, its customers, and the market where the startup is operating. In this report, Accelerating Early-stage Inclusive Fintech Startups in Emerging Markets: Assessing the Landscape and Catalyst Fund’s Model, we evaluate our own model and also assess the landscape of fintech accelerators in emerging markets. In doing so, we’ve identified 11 accelerators that touch or specialize in inclusive fintech in emerging markets. This number is relatively small compared to the global fintech sector, and in relation to inclusive fintech’s potential to impact large numbers of individuals across markets. Nevertheless, the report demonstrates that their particular method of acceleration is valuable to startups and proven in its AAA approach, and that it delivers value for money to program funders.
