Financial Inclusion

Manila – October 19, 2026 -- Salmon Group, a technology-driven banking and lending platform in the Philippines, has secured an additional $140 million in financing to expand its lending operations in the country.

Financing combines $90 million in commitments with $50 million in bond proceeds

The round consists of $90 million committed by Spice Expeditions, WashU and Moore, plus $50 million of bond proceeds.

Proceeds will fund the scaling of profitable lending, specifically the Salmon Credit Line and in-store lending. They will also finance the nationwide roll-out of new products, including motorcycle and MSME lending.

Salmon reaches 9 million app downloads in under four years of operations

Salmon operates through two licensed entities: Salmon Bank (Rural Bank), licensed by the BSP, and Salmon Finance, licensed by the SEC. The company describes itself as one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the Philippines.

Bangkok – October 17, 2026 -- The Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND) has disbursed more than US$1.37 billion in financing to over 1.3 million clients since inception, and its microfinance network has now won the "Excellence in Inclusive Banking and Social Impact" award at the 2026 Sustainable Development Goals Awards.

The World Savings and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI) organized the awards with the European Savings and Retail Banking Group (ESBG). AGFUND CEO Hammam bin Nasser bin Juraid accepted the award in Bangkok, alongside the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group.

AGFUND network has issued 1.5 million loans across nine countries

AGFUND opened its first bank in Jordan in 2004. The network now covers Jordan, Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, Mauritania and Sierra Leone, focusing on communities underserved by conventional financial institutions.

London – October 14, 2026 -- Islamic Bank of Guinea (Banque Islamique de Guinée, BIG) has won two honours at the Global Brand Awards 2026, organised by Global Brands Magazine (GBM): Best CSR Islamic Bank – Guinea and Excellence in Islamic Financial Solutions – Guinea.

GBM cites Sharia-compliant offering and community focus

GBM said BIG was recognised for delivering Sharia-compliant financial solutions while generating impact beyond banking. The bank's focus areas are financial inclusion, responsible governance and community development. GBM says the programme rewards sustained excellence, innovation and measurable impact.

GBM CEO Jay Reddy described the bank's approach to Islamic finance as disciplined. He said it combines responsible financial solutions with a clear commitment to social and economic development, and that the awards reflect BIG's consistency in serving the Guinean market.

San Francisco – October 13, 2026 -- PayJoy, which serves more than 20 million customers across nine countries, has acquired select strategic assets of Finia AI, Inc., a venture-backed fintech that built AI underwriting for micro-businesses in Mexico. The announcement did not state a price.

PayJoy to apply Finia's underwriting technology across its global platform

The deal lets PayJoy use Finia's technology and expertise to strengthen its underwriting and widen its product range for customers with limited access to formal credit. PayJoy operates in Latin America, Africa and Asia, offering digitally secured smartphone financing, credit lines and the PayJoy Card. It has financed more than $3.5 billion of loans and employs more than 1,000 people.

SAN FRANCISCO – September 28, 2026 -- More than 4 in 5 adults in the United States (85%) and United Kingdom (86%) say cost-of-living pressures have stopped them from donating or donating more over the past six months, according to a new Harris Poll survey of over 3,000 adults commissioned by nonprofit lender Kiva.

Despite the squeeze, 77% of U.S. and 80% of UK adults still gave money in some form during the same period, the survey found. The data lands against a backdrop tracked by Giving USA, which recorded record total charitable giving of $617.20 billion even as individual donors' share of that total slid from roughly 80% in past decades to 64% today.

London – September 24, 2026 -- Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) has won the 'Excellence in Agricultural Financing Solutions – Tanzania' title at the Global Brand Awards 2026, organised by Global Brands Magazine.

TADB recognised for expanding farmer and agribusiness access to finance

The award cites TADB's contribution to agricultural financing in Tanzania, including expanding access to finance for farmers and agribusinesses while supporting sustainable agricultural value chains. The Bank's focus areas include smallholder farmer financing, agribusiness development, climate-smart agriculture and financial inclusion.

Singapore – September 21, 2026 -- 01F Group has made an investment in DANA, Indonesia's leading digital e-wallet and financial services platform, through its growth-stage fintech private equity arm, 01Fintech. The deal deepens 01F Group's exposure to Southeast Asia's fintech sector as Indonesia's digital payments market is projected to approach USD 1 trillion by 2030.

DANA's platform reaches millions of users across Tier 2 to Tier 4 regions

DANA operates an integrated digital financial ecosystem serving consumers, merchants and financial institutions, with particular penetration among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) outside Indonesia's major metropolitan centers. Founded in 2018, the platform combines digital payments, QRIS transactions, money transfers and AI-powered financial tools.

Riyadh – September 17, 2026 -- Thunes has expanded its Direct Global Network to add payout services across six Middle East markets, giving Members faster and more transparent access to bank accounts, mobile wallets, and cash pickup points in Bahrain, Lebanon, Oman, South Yemen, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates.

Members can now process payouts in local currencies through direct API integration with Thunes or via existing Swift connectivity, extending reach into millions of bank accounts and mobile wallets across the region. The rollout follows Thunes' September 2025 expansion of real-time payments in Saudi Arabia.

Miami and Santa Monica, Calif. – September 14, 2026 -- Crossmint and Tala have launched a partnership pairing stablecoin wallet infrastructure with on-chain credit underwriting, starting with more than 1 million active customers in Mexico.

Tala embeds Crossmint smart wallets for over 1 million Mexican users

Tala is rolling out a new in-app wallet experience built on Crossmint's smart wallet and stablecoin payment infrastructure, initially for its active customer base in Mexico. Customers hold balances in a digital asset pegged to the Mexican peso on the Solana blockchain and earn rewards for on-time loan repayment. Rewards settle within seconds rather than days and can be held, spent, or converted to cash.

Tala plans to expand the wallet with additional digital asset services, including balance-based benefits and inbound cross-border transfers, and extend the model to other markets it serves.