Sector: Financial services

LACIF facilitates access to financial services for poor households, smallholder farmers and small enterprises to boost their involvement in economic life and reduce their vulnerability, thus contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 1 (No poverty), 8 (Decent work and economic growth) and 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure).

Relevant activities include:

improvement of access to financial services for the traditionally excluded (households and small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly through microfinance and other tailor-made services);
expansion of digital finance providing a broader suite of services, including consumer finance (payments, financing, wealth management, insurance and settlement). Fintech allows businesses and organizations to reach a wider range of consumers without a large investment in physical infrastructure and reduces monitoring costs, while providing alternative credit-scoring methods where borrowers lack credit history;
development of capital markets;
improvement of the foundation of financial sector development and general investment climate (policy, legal, regulatory, and supervisory frameworks; financial infrastructure; central bank capacity building; financial transparency);
facilitation of the integration of regional financial markets.