Fidor’s New Partnership Takes Aim at Financial Inclusion
Digital banking services company Fidor has partnered with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to expand digital banking services in Africa and Latin America.
The IFC and Germany-based Fidor have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to identify financial institutions and partners to launch and enhance digital bank partnerships in developing regions. The IFC works with more than 2,000 businesses worldwide and is a part of the World Banking Group. Last year, the organization delivered a record $19.3 billion in long-term financing for developing countries to help end poverty. Under today’s agreement, the effort will leverage the Fidor Operating System (fOS), an API that delivers digital banking services at a low cost, and will take advantage of Fidor’s expertise in launching a bank.
In the press release, Matthias Kröner, Founder and CEO of Fidor, said: “Fidor’s business model is deeply rooted in providing fair banking in the most efficient fashion possible which aligns with financial inclusion agendas. Having access to financial services can improve people’s everyday lives in emerging markets.” Kröner added that the financial inclusion agenda not only helps individuals, but the benefits also extend to economic and social development. This is why, he stated, “The MOU with IFC aims to roll out digital banks throughout emerging countries and give access to financial services in order to boost financial inclusion.”
This partnership fits well within Fidor’s core competency. The financial services firm co-innovates with other organizations, offering its APIs and expertise to help them launch their own digital banks. Fidor’s technologies cover a wide range of digital banking elements, including compliance, risk management, go-to-market strategy, and customer service. These capabilities are key for the World Banking Group to meet its goal of enabling 1 billion more people to have access to a transaction account by 2020.
Fidor has demoed at FinovateEurope 2011 and presented at FinDEVr New York 2016. In 2016, the company was acquired by France’s Groupe BPCE. Last summer, the company’s U.K. challenger bank announced that Nutmeg was one of two inaugural partners for Finance Bay, the bank’s new marketplace that aims to offer clients access to alternative investment opportunities.
