In Malawi, the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) supports the development of new use cases, products and business models that could help drive outcomes around Inclusive Digital Economies and the expansion of Digital Financial Services for segments currently left behind, such as women, youth, and other vulnerable low-income groups.
The purpose of this Request for Application (RFA) is to invite local and global FinTechs that have market-ready solutions that will help address the following identified problem statement of the implementing partner, Food and Agribusiness Development Company (FADC) , in Malawi. In this initiative, UNCDF is collaborating with the FADC to harness the potential of financial technology in transforming the agricultural sector. This partnership aims to leverage the strengths of both entities to enhance financial inclusion and support the growth of smallholder farmers and agribusinesses in Malawi.
Develop an innovative digital solution leveraging FADC’s critical data points, such as crop information, market trends, and land specifics, to optimize service delivery and increase access to financial services.
With this RFA, UNCDF plans to invest up to a total of US$100,000 United States Dollar in grant funding towards implementing the solution. Applicants can be operational in any country or region and apply independently or in a consortium, provided a consortium agreement is attached to the candidate’s submission. Only applicants who meet the eligibility requirements for the submission, as indicated in section 3.1 of the RFA document, will be evaluated.
Selected applicants will be signing a Performance-Based Agreement (PBA) with UNCDF. Please refer to the PBA sample available on this RFA publication.
The grant, awarded to one applicant will depend on the investment readiness level and outreach potential of the proposed solution. UNCDF also reserves the right not to award any applicant with grant funding. Selected applicants will be expected to fund at least fifty percent (50%) of the total project cost for monetary or in-kind costs such as technical resources, staff, and operational expenses.
Shortlisted applicants may be invited to attend a Bootcamp hosted in Malawi, location to be confirmed. The Bootcamp intends to provide shortlisted applicants with the opportunity to meet with implementing partners and key players to help fine-tune their proposals. During the Bootcamp, applicants will be encouraged to revise their proposal if necessary and pitch to a panel of judges for final evaluation.
Inquiries to this request for applications may be submitted by email to iris.kissiti@uncdf.org and mercilina.lwanda.kadewa@uncdf.org cc uncdf.rfa@uncdf.org. For any email enquiries, please include in your subject line: “Enquiry: The Malawi Fintech Challenge”
Please submit your proposal trough this e-investment platform. Submissions using other templates or sent by other electronic or non electronic means will not be eligible.
For more information please download the following documents:
240224 - MWI - The Malawi Fintech Challenge Inclusive Innovations to Increase Access to Finance for Msme’s and Smallholder Farmers
In Malawi, the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) supports the development of new use cases, products and business models that could help drive outcomes around Inclusive Digital Economies and the expansion of Digital Financial Services for segments currently left behind, such as women, youth, and other vulnerable low-income groups.
The purpose of this Request for Application (RFA) is to invite local and global FinTechs that have market-ready solutions that will help address the following identified problem statement of the implementing partner, Food and Agribusiness Development Company (FADC) , in Malawi. In this initiative, UNCDF is collaborating with the FADC to harness the potential of financial technology in transforming the agricultural sector. This partnership aims to leverage the strengths of both entities to enhance financial inclusion and support the growth of smallholder farmers and agribusinesses in Malawi.
Develop an innovative digital solution leveraging FADC’s critical data points, such as crop information, market trends, and land specifics, to optimize service delivery and increase access to financial services.
With this RFA, UNCDF plans to invest up to a total of US$100,000 United States Dollar in grant funding towards implementing the solution. Applicants can be operational in any country or region and apply independently or in a consortium, provided a consortium agreement is attached to the candidate’s submission. Only applicants who meet the eligibility requirements for the submission, as indicated in section 3.1 of the RFA document, will be evaluated.
Selected applicants will be signing a Performance-Based Agreement (PBA) with UNCDF. Please refer to the PBA sample available on this RFA publication.
The grant, awarded to one applicant will depend on the investment readiness level and outreach potential of the proposed solution. UNCDF also reserves the right not to award any applicant with grant funding. Selected applicants will be expected to fund at least fifty percent (50%) of the total project cost for monetary or in-kind costs such as technical resources, staff, and operational expenses.
Shortlisted applicants may be invited to attend a Bootcamp hosted in Malawi, location to be confirmed. The Bootcamp intends to provide shortlisted applicants with the opportunity to meet with implementing partners and key players to help fine-tune their proposals. During the Bootcamp, applicants will be encouraged to revise their proposal if necessary and pitch to a panel of judges for final evaluation.
Inquiries to this request for applications may be submitted by email to iris.kissiti@uncdf.org and mercilina.lwanda.kadewa@uncdf.org cc uncdf.rfa@uncdf.org. For any email enquiries, please include in your subject line: “Enquiry: The Malawi Fintech Challenge”
Please submit your proposal trough this e-investment platform. Submissions using other templates or sent by other electronic or non electronic means will not be eligible.
For more information please download the following documents: