Diversity & Inclusion

Unlocking Potential: How Financial Inclusion Can Create a Better Tomorrow

Enabling success for underserved business owners can help support growth and create long-lasting, positive change for communities
Jan 13, 2023 1:20 PM ET
Campaign: Social Impact at Mastercard
Mitzie outside of a store with a lit "Open" sign.
Mitzie sitting in a salon chair
Thao in a garden.
Thao sitting at a desk with a laptop. Shelves of books and products around her.
Fernando holding art supplies. Shelves of art and office supplies behind him.
Fernando sitting at a desk with a laptop open to "Solnet."

Originally published by Financial Times on ft.com

CARE’s Ignite Program is one such gender-focussed programme, and it proved to be a salvation for Vietnam-based Thao when the storefront floristry business she opened in 2018 was hit hard by the pandemic. She didn’t have the funds to make the pivot needed to survive. Through CARE’s Ignite Program – a partnership with the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth – Thao was able to obtain affordable financing through the programme’s access to essential digital tools and training, which helped her expand her business to online sales.

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