MALAWI
UNCDF has been present in Malawi since 1982, working to expand access to financial services for low-income and rural populations.
Today, UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development.
Through Financial Inclusion, UNCDF is implementing Making Access Possible (MAP) programme, which produces diagnostics of financial inclusion disaggregated by gender, geography, income and other demographics, and encouraging private investment into expanding rates and outreach of financial inclusion.
Malawi is also one of the countries where UNCDF implements its Mobile Money for the Poor (MM4P) programme, supporting and cooperating with banks, mobile network operators and regulators to help them reach millions of additional unbanked customers.
From 2010 to 2015, UNCDF piloted YouthStart in partnership with Mastercard Foundation with the objective to increase access to integrated financial services for youth aged 12-24. YouthStart has provided technical and financial assistance to 10 financial institutions in 8 Sub-Saharan countries. By the end of the Programme (2015), YouthStart tripled its targets reaching more than 635,000 youth with financial and non-financial services.
