Financial Inclusion

FinEscrow - Escrow Account roles & functionalities
Escrow, Financial Inclusion

Escrow Account: Understanding Roles & Functionalities

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An escrow account behaves as a neutral third-party holding money or funds until specific, predefined conditions are met. It serves as a vital safeguard for high-value transactions and diverse financial dealings. This mechanism is crucial for reducing risk and ensuring fairness for all parties involved. FinEscrow is a comprehensive escrow management solution designed to streamline processes, enhance security, and provide unparalleled service to banks and real estate developers. It ensures that all parties involved can trust the management process, reducing potential disputes and enhancing confidence in transactions. Escrow Account: A Neutral Guardian An escrow account functions as a neutral guardian for funds or money. These are released only upon the complete fulfilment of agreed-upon conditions. This conditional release is fundamental, as it protects both buyers and sellers from potential fraud, non-performance, or disputes, thereby building confidence and fostering trust between transacting parties. Transparency is also a fundamental component, with all transactions and conditions documented to prevent disputes and keep all parties informed throughout the process. FinEscrow is developed on cutting-edge technology and is a reliable solution for managing escrow accounts specifically tailored for the real estate sector. The platform enhances cash flow management by ensuring timely disbursements, allowing for more efficient financial planning and resource allocation. Key Functionalities: How Escrow Accounts Work? The operational backbone of an escrow arrangement lies in the escrow agreement—a tripartite contract involving the buyer, seller, and the escrow agent. This agreement meticulously outlines the conditions for the release of funds, the amount involved, the responsibilities of each party, and associated fees. For FinEscrow, this process is automated to enhance efficiency and ensure that all parties involved have quick access to necessary documentation, resulting in faster approval procedures. Let’s now learn how escrow accounts work: Using Escrow Accounts for Enhanced Security & Efficiency Modern escrow management solutions address the complexities of the traditional escrow process, ensuring that all necessary transactions are handled securely and efficiently, thereby improving trust and reliability. Let’s unveil the essential features of FinEscrow for Banks and Developers: The platform is equipped with critical functionalities that cater to both financial institutions and property developers. Advantages of using FinEscrow Why and Who Needs an Escrow Account? Concerning FinEscrow, Banks, Financial Institutions, Real Estate Developers, and Buyers need an escrow account for: Furthermore, escrow accounts are utilised in various industries, including digital lending, e-commerce, digital marketplaces, online gaming, and more. FinEscrow: Building a Future of Secure & Streamlined Transactions Escrow accounts stand as indispensable pillars of secure financial dealings. They are the essential mechanism that shields all parties from risk, ensuring fairness and upholding confidence in every transaction. FinEscrow elevates this critical safeguard, transforming the complexities of traditional escrow into a seamless, efficient, and highly secure digital experience. FinEscrow not only minimises administrative burdens but also accelerates transaction cycles and bolsters financial governance. Whether you are a bank seeking to expand revenue streams and enhance customer trust, or a real estate developer aiming for optimal cash flow and increased buyer confidence, FinEscrow is your strategic partner. Visit https://teknospire.com/ to learn more. Frequently Asked Questions

Escrow Account
Escrow, Financial Inclusion

What is An Escrow Account and What is the Purpose of It?

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An escrow account is a temporary, secure account maintained by a bank that holds money and funds as a neutral third party until specific conditions are met by the parties involved in the transaction. It protects both parties involved, reducing the risk of fraud and providing a clear, transparent and auditable transactional record. Escrow accounts are utilised in various industries, including real estate, digital lending, e-commerce, digital marketplaces, online gaming, and more. This streamlines transactions and automates the payment and compliance process. They minimise the chances of scams or non-payment between the parties, avoid disputes, and build trust. To help banks and real estate developers in the Middle East, we have introduced an innovative, comprehensive and tailored Escrow management solution, FinEscrow. It is a cutting-edge solution designed to streamline escrow management processes, enhancing security and improving efficiency for all transactions involved between the parties. Understanding the Escrow Management Process Generally, escrow accounts come into use when there is a high chance that one or both parties involved in a transaction do not stick to their obligations. Let’s make it easier for the readers to understand: Why do we need Escrow Accounts? Concerning FinEscrow, real estate developers are associated with high-risk transactions that involve huge capital. Situations also arise where both parties (buyer and seller of the property) may not adhere to the conditions framed. There are situations where the buyer’s money gets misused by the developer for some purpose other than the concerned project. This is where escrow accounts play a significant role in mitigating the risk. The bank is responsible for creating customer profiles (all real estate developer details), their projects and escrow accounts for each project. All necessary documents must be uploaded and approved by the bank’s concerned person. Every real estate builder and developer now has an escrow account associated with a specific bank. The developer sets certain conditions (milestones) in the project specifications, and upon agreement and approval from the bank’s specific person, the expenses are paid out ot the developer’s vendors. In simple terms, the buyer’s money flows to the same escrow account, and then, depending upon the milestones achieved (the amount of money dependent on work progress and the due date for payment), the money flows out to the developer’s account. The bank gets a clear view of the transactions happening, depending on the milestones set and achieved. Significance of Escrow Management in Real Estate FinEscrow plays a critical role in carrying out escrow management for real estate developers by providing: Advantages of Escrow Accounts The real estate developer submits a fund release request from the escrow account, enclosing details of the milestone. On approval from the authorised bank checker, the money is transferred from the escrow account to the developer’s account. With the advancement of digitisation and state-of-the-art technology, real estate developers can enjoy a range of benefits with escrow accounts. Unveiling Benefits and Features of FinEscrow A reliable solution for managing Escrow accounts, specifically tailored for the real estate sector, ensures that all parties involved can trust the management process, enhancing confidence in transactions. Why FinEscrow is a Compatible Escrow Account for Real Estate Developers With multiple players in the competitive market, developers must select the right solution for escrow management, provided it meets the criteria to reduce risks and scams, enabling smooth and safe transactions. FinEscrow, customized especially for the real estate segment, promises to keep transparency and provide unparalleled services for navigating complex projects and regulatory landscapes. It is an expert in automating processes and streamlining documentation, and comes with country-specific API-based real-time integration and regulatory compliance. It also enables better decision-making by providing insights for resource allocation and financial planning. Real estate developers can always look up to FinEscrow as a strategic partner that transforms transactions with unparalleled precision and integrity. To simplify the complexities of the Escrow process, FinEscrow is a highly recommended platform for its efficiency, accuracy and reliability. Frequently Asked Questions:

Biometric Authentication
Finance, Financial Inclusion, FinNews, FinTech

Biometric Authentication: Enhancing Security in Fintech

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In today’s fast-paced world, digital financial services are exploding from mobile banking to AI-powered investment platforms. But with convenience comes risk: fraud, data breaches, account takeovers. That’s where biometric authentication steps in granting access based on your unique physical traits, offering fintech a powerful line of defense. Why Biometrics Matter in Fintech Types of Biometric Technologies & How They Work a. Fingerprint Scanning  Arguably the most common. Users touch or swipe their finger on a sensor; the system compares the print to stored encrypted data.  b. Facial Recognition  Leveraging front cameras or infrared sensors to map face geometry. More secure versions use “liveness detection” to prevent spoofing with photos.  c. Voice Recognition  Analyzes tone and pitch used for customer‑service phone lines or voice‑activated transactions.  d. Iris & Retina Scans  Highly accurate (pattern of eye), though less common due to cost and infrastructure needs. Found in high‑security banking apps or physical branches.  Real World Use Cases in Fintech Benefits & Business Impact: Benefit  Impact  Enhanced security  Reduces fraud; biometric is nearly impossible to replicate.  Better user experience  No PINs/passwords, just a quick touch or glance. Fast & frictionless.  Regulatory compliance  Meets standards like PSD2, KYC/AML making onboarding smoother.  Competitive edge  Fintechs using biometrics appear innovative, trustworthy, modern.  Challenges & Considerations: The Road Ahead: Trends & Outlook Conclusion Biometric authentication isn’t just a shiny innovation – it’s fast becoming a core infrastructure for secure, user-friendly fintech services. With carefully designed privacy, anti‑spoofing, and accessibility measures, it offers stronger security for companies, and smoother experiences for customers. 

Treasury Management System
Treasury Management, Financial Inclusion, FinTech

Treasury Management: Simplifying Conglomerate Multi-Entity Cash

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For CFOs and Group CFOs leading large enterprises and conglomerates, the vast networks of entities, divisions, and global offices they manage involve huge capital. This complex business structure entails cash dispersed across multiple bank accounts with various financial institutions. Idle cash can often be found across departments and subsidiaries, preventing a holistic view of the cash position and hindering decision-making for future planning and investment. This fragmentation creates blind spots, leading to missed opportunities for high-return investments, suboptimal resource allocation, and a diminished ability to react swiftly to market shifts. Ultimately, this compromises a conglomerate’s financial agility and competitive edge. Maintaining peak liquidity performance, optimizing capital deployment, mitigating operational risks, and ensuring compliance with diverse regulations is still a daydream for many conglomerates. Leaders of such entities face these troubles and often experiment with solutions that promise to solve yet fail to meet their objectives.  A treasury management system/ Treasury Single Account (TSA) consolidates all cash and financial transactions into one centralized account. It enables organizations to operate through a single bank account to optimize liquidity, improve visibility, and streamline financial operations. In this guide, we will unveil the hurdles of cash management, look for an optimal solution, and understand the workings and benefits of adopting a Treasury Single Account.  Why is Conglomerate Cash Management So Difficult? Conglomerates manage multiple accounts across different subsidiaries, divisions, or geographical regions that lead to: Why Do Conglomerates Look for a Unified Solution? Finance departments in every conglomerate have recognised the inefficiency of outdated, decentralized treasury practices. Accepting fragmented visibility, inefficient capital deployment, and heightened risk is no longer preferred. Manual methods are cumbersome, with hours wasted by team resources on bringing together all scattered financial data. A Single Account Treasury Management (SATM) approach has become necessary for all conglomerates to centralize control and bring in strategic financial management. It simplifies tracking and monitoring of funds, ensuring real-time visibility into the cash position. Treasury management tracks and monitors funds, reducing the complexity and time required for bank reconciliation processes. FinStream: Single Account Treasury Is Your Go-To Solution Now Finance departments can now easily tackle the complexities of multi-entity cash by utilising FinStream’s treasury management to the fullest through: Key Advantages of FinStream for Conglomerates Adopting FinStream’s STA comes with a bundle of benefits for conglomerates, such as: Master Your Cash, Master Your Future with FinStream’s STA Is your conglomerate still battling the chaos of fragmented cash? Are scattered funds hindering your strategic agility and eroding your bottom line? Single Account Treasury Management is ideal for organizations looking to simplify treasury operations, optimize liquidity, and enhance financial control. STA solution helps consolidate cash flows by ensuring all cash inflows and outflows through a single account. FinStream’s Treasury Single Account is an expert in reducing manual processes, freeing resources, lowering operational costs and helping finance departments of conglomerates simplify and streamline workflows. It empowers CFOs, Finance Controllers, and Treasury Banking Heads with real-time, consolidated insights, enabling them to convert idle funds into strategic capital and navigate market shifts with unparalleled confidence. It’s time for you not to just manage your conglomerate’s cash, but master it. Book a personalized demo with our FinStream experts today. Start your journey to intelligent treasury management now. Frequently Asked Questions

Account reconciliation automation
Reconciliation, Ai In Finance, Financial Inclusion

How does FinRecon’s Automation Slash Your Reconciliation Expenses?

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For finance, accounts, and collections teams, the daily grind of reconciliation isn’t just about matching numbers – it’s a silent, draining expense. Are you ready to uncover what manual reconciliation is costing your business? Across various business departments, traditional reconciliation often grapples with fragmented data spread across disparate applications, databases, and spreadsheets, leading to predominantly manual and spreadsheet-dependent processes for the actual matching. Endless hours are spent reconciling everything from Accounts receivable/payable, invoices, and tax adjustments, to payments received from multiple channels (cash/cheque/online/cards), including partial or full costs, and even stock in/out against purchase orders. These time-bound and error-prone methods hide significant financial burdens. Why not try FinRecon for your account reconciliation automation to gain control over this heap of expenses? Manual Reconciliation: Hidden Expenses and Challenges Let’s rewind the hidden challenges of traditional reconciliation: Account Reconciliation Automation: Walking along the Smarter Way for Cost Control Adopting a smarter approach with account reconciliation automation, businesses can tailor reconciliation rules to fit specific needs and enhance efficiency and accuracy in their financial operations. Intelligent algorithms automatically match corresponding entries, minimizing errors that lead to costly rework. Embracing automation means gaining full control over your reconciliation process and proactively managing your financial health. Reducing human effort and error translates into significant labour cost savings and reduced financial impact of mistakes. In simple words, reconciliation automation fundamentally shifts the economics of your financial operations. FinRecon: Slashing Reconciliation Expenses FinRecon is a revolutionary reconciliation platform designed to streamline and simplify account reconciliation processes, directly addressing and eliminating often-unseen expenses. Let’s run through the steps by which FinRecon helps cut down expenses: Platform’s Quantifiable Result Derivatives FinRecon’s automation of operational expenses has been demonstrated through tangible customer results: Invest in Clarity: Choose FinRecon over Hidden Costs Traditional reconciliation is a silent, persistent drain on your organization’s resources and potential. The hidden costs of wasted time, persistent errors, delayed insights, and audit complexities accumulate significantly. A smart and simple step to overcome these complexities is to embrace account reconciliation automation. With FinRecon’s state-of-the-art technology, you can standardize, control, and automate your substantiation processes. Stop paying the hidden price of manual processes and elevate your reconciliation from a cost centre to an engine of efficiency and financial integrity. Ready to slash your reconciliation expenses and empower your finance, accounts, and collections teams? Schedule a demo with FinRecon today and see the profound ROI firsthand. Frequently Asked Questions:

a diagram of a company
Digital Banking, Escrow

Escrow Management for Real Estate market – Rewritten for the Real World

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If you’ve ever been part of a large real estate transaction, either on the banking side or the builder’s, you know it’s rarely as smooth as the brochures suggest. Between milestone payments, documentation chaos, and regulatory friction, the process often feels more like juggling than managing. That’s where escrow steps in: a buffer zone of trust, a safety net for both funds and expectations. But even escrow, in its traditional form, is showing signs of strain. Old systems weren’t built to handle today’s pace, complexity, or the number of hands involved in a single deal.  The Escrow Gap We Don’t Talk About In practice, managing escrow isn’t just about holding money. It’s about coordinating between banks, developers, buyers, government bodies, and sometimes, third-party consultants. And it’s here, in this messy middle, that many transactions slow down or derail. Delays in verifying documents. Confusion around payment triggers. Disputes over whether a milestone was truly met. These issues don’t make headlines, but they quietly stall projects, stress out teams, and tie up capital.  A System That Understands the Workflow  What if escrow management respected the complexity instead of resisting it? That’s the principle behind FinEscrow. It wasn’t built to add another tool to your tech stack. It was built to mirror how real estate transactions actually unfold.  FinEscrow pulls these moving parts into a single narrative. One that’s visible, verifiable, and less prone to costly misunderstandings.  Milestones Aren’t Just Checkpoints – They’re Conversations  One of the more thoughtful features is how FinEscrow handles milestones – not as rigid checkboxes, but as live status updates across stakeholders.   A consultant verifies a phase. A bank gets notified. A buyer sees progress. And only then does the system trigger a fund release. This avoids the classic “he said, she said” bottlenecks that plague escrow flows.  Integration That Actually Makes Life Easier  In real estate finance, tools should make things simpler – not create more work. FinEscrow connects easily with the systems banks and developers already use. It shares updates with government portals like the Ministry of Housing and works smoothly with the bank’s core software, so there’s no need for manual updates or switching between platforms. It also handles agreement creation digitally cutting out paperwork and back-and-forth emails. Because if it still takes a dozen emails to release one payment, something is not working. Not a Product – A Quiet Enabler  Here’s the thing: you shouldn’t notice FinEscrow doing its job. You should just feel like things are…less stuck. Documents flow, alerts ping the right people, approvals line up, and money moves when it’s supposed to. That’s not magic. It’s just design that starts from reality, not aspiration.  Conclusion  Escrow has always been about trust. But in today’s fast-moving world, that trust comes from transparency, timely updates, and clear handshakes between all parties. In real estate, where payments are tied to milestones and multiple stakeholders are involved, FinEscrow brings structure and clarity, thus making the process easier to manage for both developers and banks. Beyond real estate, FinEscrow also helps financial institutions handle other escrow use cases with the same reliability, simplifying approvals, reducing delays, and improving coordination where it matters most.

Single Account Treasury Management
Financial Inclusion, Treasury Management

Single Account Treasury Management System Empowering Conglomerates

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Is your treasury team having trouble managing your enterprise’s finances and constantly checking countless individual bank accounts? The sheer volume of transactions, disparate balances, and endless reconciliations is a recipe for inefficiency and potential chaos. For many large organizations, this multi-account maze is a daily reality. But what if there was a way to bring order to this complexity, to gain a clear, unified view of your financial landscape? Single Account Treasury Management (SATM) offers that very solution. Here, we will learn about FinStream, a leading SATM system engineered to conquer the challenges of treasury management and decentralized finance and how it empowers businesses to operate with newfound efficiency and strategic clarity. The Multi-Account Maze: Challenges Faced by Conglomerates A network of numerous bank accounts distributed across various subsidiaries, geographical regions, and banking partners poses challenges for CFOs, Finance Directors, and treasury teams. All of these challenges demand an all-in-one solution: a Single Account Treasury Management system. Switch to a Platform for Streamlined Finance: FinStream Just like every problem has a solution, large corporates don’t have to worry anymore about managing cash and liquidity across various entities. With FinStream, they can experience: Organizations Transformed: Real-World Benefits with Single Account Treasury Management Conglomerates stay at an advantage by drawing numerous benefits from SATM systems. Target audiences that can be a perfect fit to make the most out of FinStream are: Meet the Central Hub for Conglomerate Treasury Excellence FinStream is a powerful and comprehensive Single Account Treasury Management system that empowers organizations to overcome the several challenges of decentralized finance.Are you ready to transform your organization’s treasury operations and embrace the power of centralized control?Contact Teknospire today for a consultation and discover how FinStream can help your finance team navigate the complexities of the modern financial world. Frequently Asked Questions

Digital Escrow Services
Escrow, FinNews

Digital Escrow: Revolutionizing Trust and Security in Fintech Transactions

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Digital Escrow services play a pivotal role in modern financial transactions, offering a secure and trustworthy method for managing payments between parties.  In the fintech sector, digital escrow solutions have become essential, ensuring the safety and efficiency of online transactions. Understanding Escrow An escrow arrangement involves a neutral third party holding funds or assets on behalf of transacting parties until predetermined conditions are met.  This mechanism safeguards both buyers and sellers, ensuring that funds are only released when all contractual obligations are fulfilled. The Evolution of Digital Escrow in Fintech With the rapid advancement of technology, traditional escrow services have evolved into digital platforms, seamlessly integrating into the fintech ecosystem. These digital escrow services offer enhanced security, transparency, and efficiency, making them indispensable in today’s digital economy. Benefits of Digital Escrow Services Applications in Fintech Digital escrow services are particularly beneficial in sectors such as e-commerce, real estate, and online marketplaces, where large sums of money are exchanged, and trust between parties is paramount. For instance, in online auctions involving high-value goods, escrow services ensure that buyers receive the goods as described before funds are released to the seller. Technological Advancements in Digital Escrow Digital escrow services are becoming smarter with the help of advanced technologies: These technologies remove the need for middlemen, speed up the process, and reduce human errors, making digital escrow services faster, safer, and more reliable for everyone. Conclusion Digital escrow services are revolutionizing the way financial transactions are conducted in the fintech industry. By providing a secure, transparent, and efficient means of managing payments, they build trust between parties and facilitate smoother transactions. As technology continues to advance, the role of digital escrow in fintech is set to become even more significant, offering innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of the digital economy.

Financial Digitalization
Financial Inclusion

Future of Finance – Embracing Digital Transformation

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Today, with just a few taps, funds can be transferred, bills can be paid, and purchases can be made. All without needing to touch cash. As technology advances, with financial digitalization the future of finance looks brighter, promising even more innovative and secure ways to the government and corporate entities, and financial intermediaries. To add to this, digital transformation has been a crucial factor in reducing operational costs, improving efficiency, and rendering enhanced services to customers. Hence, the significance of digital transformation in modern-day finances cannot be overstated. In this rapidly evolving landscape, companies like Teknospire are at the forefront, offering innovative Fintech solutions tailored for emerging markets. As we explore the digital transformation trends in the Middle East and African (MEA) region, we’ll see how such platforms are shaping the future of finance. While the financial systems all around the world are the beneficiaries of this change, a wave of rapid adoption can be seen in the economies of the Middle East and African (MEA) region. As per a recent report, there has been a 70% boost in digital banking in the region. The implementation of novel digital transformation strategies has led to the rise in the adoption of fintech solutions and related mobile banking services. Steered by the increasing penetration of smartphones, the growing trend of digital adoption in the MEA region looks promising. This blog aims to unravel this very trend, exploring the key drives, the challengers, the impact, and a handful of inspiring case studies. The Global Surge of Digital Transformation in the Finance Sector We all are well aware of the massive digital transformation that the finance sector is undergoing on a global level. As we speak, somewhere, a financial institution is transforming its service to serve its customers better and to stay ahead in the game.  Today, a large proportion of banks around the world are heavily invested in Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) fostering quick transactions, proactive fraud detection, and satisfactory customer virtual assistance. When it comes to the MEA region, the digital transformation has been earmarked with several key statistics and ebullient case studies. For instance, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has witnessed a whopping 200% rise in the use of e-banking services over five years. Based in South Africa, the First National Bank or FNB is successfully offering AI assistance to its customers for the very first time. Other initiatives include the launch of Vision 2030 by the government of Saudi Arabia to increase the digital transaction rate up to 70%,  the Dubai Blockchain Strategy of UAE and to name a few. While these account for a handful of instances, the governments in the MEA region are playing a major role in transforming the finance sector to bring in more transparency and better efficiency. But the road taken hasn’t been an easy one to tread on, it is full of challenging bumps. Challenges Before Financial Digital Transformation A couple of challenges stand in the way of the financial sector and the concerned stakeholders to digital upgradation. In this section, we will be discussing the major ones: Financial Digitalization Drivers in the MEA Region In overcoming the aforementioned challenges and fostering the digitalization of the financial sector has been catalyzed by several key factors. One of the most significant of these are Smart Dubai initiative by UAE and other government policies of the MEA region such as incentivization of the adoption of digital technologies have managed to create a conducive environment paving the way to digital transformation.  Another crucial driver of digital transformation in the finance sector has been the technological advancements that have been taking place. As far as the MEA region is concerned, there has been significant progress in the adoption of distributor ledger technology or blockchain technology, AI integration, and the development of cloud computing infrastructure. This has been in sync with the rising consumer demand. Today, the consumers of the MEA region are demanding more convenient, quicker, and efficient financial services. This is pushing the government, corporate entities, and financial intermediaries to accelerate their efforts of digital transformation. Case Studies: Financial Digitalization Success Stories Let’s delve into the latest case studies related to the financial digitalization: Case Study #1: Super-fast and Secure SARIE system of Saudi Arabia.The SARIE system is a subsidiary of the Saudi Central Bank and has driven the digital payment ecosystem of the country by leaps and bounds. It has enabled the transaction of instant fund transfers between banks. This has boosted digital payment transfers by manifolds. It also supports the Vision 2030 launched by the country. Case Study #2: The Success of the First National Bank (FNB) of South Africa. The First National Bank (FNB) has been a great success in the South African soil. This bank had heavily invested in AI and data analytics to serve the customers better. With instant loan approval, it has become one of the most successful financial ventures in the MEA region. Case Study #3: The Digital Transformation of Emirates NBD. Based in the sands of Dubai, Emirates NBD has been successfully digitalized by launching Liv. A digital-only bank that targets unserved sections of the country’s economy. It offers a range of features such as personalized financial insights, instant account opening, and to name a few. This initiative has managed to increase customer engagement and satisfaction by 62%. Case Study #4: The Mobile Money Service of Kenya’s M-Pesa.Safaricom had rolled out the mobile money service on the Kenyan landscape in the form of ‘M-Pesa’. It allows users to digitally transfer funds, pay for goods and services, and deposit money in their banks digitally. By providing financial access to millions, it has increased the financial inclusion percentage of the country from a meager 26% to a whopping 84%.  Case Study #5: The Novel Mobile Banking Initiative by Saudi’s National Commercial Bank (NCB).The sands of Saudi Arabia have witnessed a tremendous transformation in the services rendered by its largest bank – the National Commercial Bank (NCB). With

Digital Banking, Financial Inclusion, FinTech Trends, Mobile Wallet

Financial Inclusion and Union Budget 2020

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Financial inclusion is increasingly being recognized as a key driver of economic growth and poverty alleviation across the globe. Studies have found that access to formal finance can boost job creation, reduce vulnerability to economic shocks and increase investments in human capital. Seven of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of 2030 view financial inclusion as a key enabler for achieving sustainable development worldwide. Union Budget 2020 and Enabling Financial Inclusion  While presenting Union Budget 2020, Hon’ble Finance minister Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman said Technological tools like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, 3D printing, drones, data storage, Quantum Computing are helping change the way the country functions, these emerging technologies need to be focussed to drive financial inclusion in the country.” How Artificial Intelligence Can boost Digital Financial Inclusion? Most of the rural population looks for a “credit” facility with a financial institution but in the absence of “credit score or history” the loans are not granted or provided at a very high-interest rate. AI can be used to build a rural credit score for individuals based on their crop turnover, business profit or sales. Data collected from SMS logs, contact details could assist in identifying the user who can be trusted in repaying the loan. Based on this a score could be assigned to him and FI can impart credit for individual’s needs. How the Internet of Things Can boost Digital Financial Inclusion? Internet of Things [IoT] of wearable technologies bridges the gap and open access to formal finance to rural/immigrants of a country.  A live example has been seen in Africa where people struggle to get a continuous supply of electricity. Hence Solar powered chargers and lanterns evolved, but they cost a lot and with people having limited income, putting a lump sum amount at the start is difficult. Hence they came up with Pay-as-you-go model that connects the solar-powered device to their SIM card for remote management and integration to payment network offering customers to pay installments easily and ability to service providers to manage device remotely in case of issues. How Drones Can boost Digital Financial Inclusion? Last-mile delivery in rural and remote areas is still a struggle and startups, brands are looking for a feasible solution. Drones could offer assistance here.   While delivering cash to the last mile may have its risk, but delivering couriers [containing clothes, books, grains, etc] with a digital-based interface that enables payment could assist in social inclusion.  Drones could also aid to insurtech in investigating, inspecting the home/vehicle/shop under an insurance claim and send the report for faster processing. This would help in getting rural people under insurance assuring a good quality of life. How Quantum Computing Can boost Digital Financial Inclusion? Quantum Computing may not directly impact the unbanked individuals, but it can help  Investors in evaluating the business cases for Banks and FI with the innovative products  In Localizing banking to regional flavor with the use of data  Supply Chain in scanning and quickly coming up with the best route to meet the logistics timelines. Our Hon’ble Finance Minister not just made sure to include these emerging technologies growth plans in the budget but she confirmed that all the public institutions at a Gram Panchayat levels will be given digital connectivity, and Fibre-to-home through BharatNet will link 100,000 Gram Panchayats in the financial year 2020-21 itself. Sitharaman said, “Anganwadi centers, health and wellness centers, post offices, police stations, and other rural welfare centers to get 100 percent digital access. The government’s vision is that all public institutions be provided with digital connectivity.” For last four years Teknospire, a technology provider to Banks and NBFC’s is doing its bit in enabling Financial and Social Inclusion. If you are looking for a Digital Banking, API Banking or Mobile Wallet solution, we are just a call away. References RBI, Finextra, Nextbillion, finovate, bobsguide

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