This episode of Fintech for the People is focused on the critical research around risks and bias in AI, explaining the importance of equitable AI and its impact on the financial ecosystem. Our guest, Alexandra Rizzi, Senior Research Director at the Center for Financial Inclusion, shares insights about various challenges, including bias and contextual differences, emphasizing the need for inclusive outcomes in financial decision-making processes. She highlights scenarios where seemingly...

In this episode of Fintech for the People, Amee Parbhoo, Managing Partner at Accion Venture Lab, sets the stage for a deep dive into four key areas where AI can empower fintech companies to expand the reach and effectiveness of financial services to underserved populations: compliance, credit decisioning, customer engagement, and workflow optimization.    Starting with compliance, Amee discusses how AI streamlines customer screening and KYC compliance for thin-file or no-file customers with...

In this episode of Fintech for the People, host Amee Parbhoo, Managing Partner at Accion Venture Lab, speaks to Jimena Pardo and Federico Antoni from Hi Ventures about the transformative role of AI in fintech. They explore the potential for AI to revolutionize financial services by streamlining operations for fintech companies, improving credit scoring, detecting fraud, and fostering financial inclusion.     Jimena and Federico share insights into their commitment to ethical AI implementation...

Supriya Paul, the co-founder and CEO of Josh Talks, joins host Rahil Rangwala in this episode of Accion Venture Lab’s Fintech for the People podcast to talk about online education for the future workforce in India and opens job opportunities for India’s youth. They also chat through the company’s growth that Supriya built over the last few years and its impact on the youth in India, especially when it comes to their career, financial literacy, and earning potential.  Supriya shared her...

Advance is a digital lending platform founded by CEO Jaime de los Angeles to help low and middle-income workers bridge their cashflow needs and manage unexpected expenses throughaccess to salary advances. His focus on the Philippines and Vietnam has brought financial freedom and credit to previously underserved markets, where they are now seeing as much as 50percent of users reporting increases in savings, health, and overall satisfaction.    In this episode, Jaime and the host Rahil...

The rise of digital platforms and apps that offer on-demand services, like ridesharing and deliveries, has created a new labor market referred to as the “gig economy.” Because of the temporary nature of their work, gig workers often face financial instability and limited access to financial services. In this episode of Accion Venture Lab’s podcast, host Rahil Rangwala hears from Flourish Ventures’ Director of Strategy and Insights Stella Klemperer about the growing gig economy and how...

Global shifts like digitization are driving economic and societal change, including the way that people find and do their jobs. More and more people are using jobtech, digital platforms that connect people to employment opportunities, to earn a living. In this episode of Accion Venture Lab’s Fintech for the People, host Rahil Rangwala sits down with Chris Maclay, Program Director at the Jobtech Alliance of MercyCorps, to talk about how MercyCorps is merging fintech with innovation in the job...

Rapid digitalization, climate change, economic instability, AI and automation, and other trends have shifted how people around the world live and work. For low-income and underserved people, these shifts have created new work opportunities, like gig work, and new risks and challenges, like the need to learn new digital skills. In this season of Accion Venture Lab’s Fintech for the People podcast, we’re exploring the role of fintech in the changing future of work. In the first episode of the...

This season, we’ll dive into one of the hottest topics investors and entrepreneurs are discussing: The intersection of the future of work and fintech. Global shifts and trends — like rapid digitalization, climate change, migration, and generative AI — are changing the way that people around the world live and work.   Host Rahil Rangwala, Managing Partner of Accion Venture Lab, will speak with five industry experts, ranging from entrepreneurs to investors to stakeholders in the ecosystem, who...

After seeing the need for climate solutions in Africa, Lyndsay Holley Handler decided to commit to building a company that would deliver clean, affordable energy and financial services to hard-to-reach communities. Amee Parbhoo speaks with Lyndsay, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Delta40 Studio, an early-stage investor and venture builder in energy, agriculture, and mobility sectors that are increasing incomes and tackling climate change in Africa. Lyndsay shares how Factor[e] and Delta40...

The agriculture sector may be a big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, but it’s also the most affected by climate change. Climate change and a lack of access to technological innovations harm rural agricultural communities. To find out how to address this, host Amee Parbhoo talks with Abhishek Gupta, co-founder of Semaai, to learn how Semaai is building agritech solutions in Indonesia to help farmers and rural shops maximize their earning potential and reduce their emissions...

Overfishing poses a big threat to the health of oceans, marine life, and communities everywhere. But the aquaculture industry presents more responsible opportunities to harvest more eco-friendly proteins. Now, through innovative digital and financial solutions, smallholder aquaculture farmers in India can dramatically improve their yields while protecting our oceans and marine life. Host Amee Parbhoo, Managing Partner of Accion Venture Lab, talks with Pavan Kosaraju, CEO and co-founder of...

For the venture space to build climate resilience among vulnerable populations, we need to mobilize more capital, talent, and innovative technology to support locally led solutions that address climate change in regions most affected. To explore this, host Amee Parbhoo talks with Maelis Carraro, Managing Partner at Catalyst Fund, about how we can build climate resilience, prepare for future risks, and build long-term opportunities in a new climate environment. Catalyst Fund is a pre-seed...

As the world grapples with the devastating impacts of climate change, financial institutions have the power to reduce vulnerability and build resilience by making financial services more accessible to vulnerable populations. In this episode, host Amee Parbhoo sits down with Howard Miller, the Director, Climate at the Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI), to discuss how financial inclusion strategies enable people to manage climate-related risks.  CFI, an independent global think tank within...

As climate change-related events increase in frequency, unpredictability, and severity, low-income and vulnerable populations are the most affected. In our fifth season, we’ll explore climate fintech, a new and exciting area of fintech that aims to address climate change.  We will speak to startup founders, investors, and other ecosystem players to understand how we can  help individuals and small businesses manage the climate risks they face and work together to build a more sustainable...

Amee Parbhoo sits down with TS Anil, Global CEO of Monzo Bank to talk about his personal and professional journey, how he managed the company through the pandemic, what his principles are in building a sustainable and growth-oriented business, and what he sees for the future of inclusive fintech.

Mayada El-Zoghbi of the Center for Financial Inclusion leads a panel discussion between entrepreneurs and investors to discover how financial solutions can help combat and mitigate climate risks for the world’s most vulnerable populations.

One of the challenges in financial inclusion balancing innovative tech with the need to build trusted relationships with customers beyond the digital realm. While the pandemic accelerated digital adoption, it also hampered the ability of financial institutions to cultivate relationships with their customers. Four panelists explain how they discovered innovative ways to continue balancing tech and touch through and beyond the pandemic.

Amee Parbhoo sits down with four CEOs to discuss how their companies are building embedded finance solutions that uniquely reach underserved populations across the globe.

How should inclusive fintech investors look at web3 in the future? Matt Schaar talks with Amee Parbhoo about how Accion Venture Lab plans to evaluate web3 to invest in and support founders building solutions that increase financial inclusion.

Mercedes Bidart’s research showed that women and families in Latin America needed support to build wealth. She shares how Quipu now provides essential financial services to women-owned small businesses.

New fintech in the Web3 space must be sustainable. Paul Nelson shares how USAID promotes financial well-being through sustainable, inclusive, and secure digital ecosystems.

Underbanked MSMEs face many challenges in funding their businesses. Sam Eyob of Goldfinch tells us how their protocol aims to connect MSMEs to new sources of capital.

Market disruptions can leave people scrambling. Is blockchain a potential solution to helping mitigate those shocks? Host Matt Schaar talks with the Mercy Corps Ventures team to unpack this question.