Advancing a competitive, innovative, and secure marketplace for Internet connectivity and digital financial services in low- and middle-income countries is crucial for economic growth, digital inclusion, and innovation.
Competitive Internet connectivity networks help bridge the persistent digital divide, ensuring that more people have access to the benefits of the digital economy, such as online education, healthcare, and e-commerce. Interconnected economies can boost GDP and create new markets for products and services.
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When emerging markets have access to digital financial services, local entrepreneurs can develop solutions tailored to their unique challenges, often leading to groundbreaking innovations that can be scaled globally. For example, mobile money solutions like M-PESA started as a local solution to an African problem. Mobile money is now a global service with proven anti-poverty capabilities.
Catalytic Capital for Internet Access and DFS
Digital Invest is USAID program that provides highly customized support to private-sector Internet infrastructure developers that advance internet connectivity and fund managers that accelerate digital financial services in emerging markets.
Digital Invest can provide four grants of $500,000 in targeted, risk-tolerant, catalytic capital to increase internet service providers (ISPs) and digital financial services (DFS) supporting un- and underserved consumers and businesses worldwide.
The blended finance approach will prioritize high-impact, catalytic, and market-driven use of grant funding as:
- Project funding,
- Support for first-loss capital requirements,
- Top up grants to existing portfolio companies
- Technical assistance to accelerate the success of individual companies
- Appropriate operational and transaction costs
Priority under this call will be placed on increasing access to finance, supporting the growth of secure and trusted technology service providers, and prioritizing consumer protection and cybersecurity in all partnerships. The program will advance competition and choice, and ensure emerging market countries have secure alternatives to authoritarian-backed tech companies, infrastructure, and platforms.
Apply Now! Deadline is April 15, 2024
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Do you want to apply for USAID grants for humanitarian aid projects? Get startup investments for a technology business? Or learn how to win more contracts? Then please sign up now to get our email updates. We are constantly publishing new funding opportunities like these:
I want to help others through internet
My organisation need help with internet
My association need help with internet connection
True, most areas in developing countries have plenty of resources that are not fully exploited and utilized due to limited internet connectivity and digital financial services.
It consulting and Training Co U Ltd plans to draw into such services as many communities as possible. Our obstacle since incorporation has been limited funds.We are therefore requesting to be considered for a grant of $500,000. We would be glad if required to submit a full proposal.
Thanks Sincerely
Women farmers to stay connected Limpopo in Vhembe District South Africa
It would be nice if our providers could have funding so to provide internet for those youth seeking to take internet courses to advance themselves. The youth here would leapfrog the education gap not provided in Lesotho but needed to prepare them for this fast growing digital economy which Lesotho is not partaking in and falling further behind.