Accion, a global nonprofit organisation that is dedicated to enhancing financial accessibility, has recently announced the final closure of a $61.6 million fund that is exclusively focused on early-stage fintech startups worldwide.
The establishment of the new fund illustrates Accion’s decade-long dedication to investing in companies that address financial exclusion, such as Accion Venture Lab Fund II, LP.
This initiative is designed to introduce digital financial services to millions of underserved and unbanked individuals through technology.
A global coalition driving fintech growth
The $61.6 million fund comprises a diverse group of investors, including development finance institutions, foundations, and significant corporations such as MetLife and Mastercard.
This combination emphasises its dual objective of generating competitive financial returns and increasing financial inclusion to achieve a measurable impact.
The fund is currently supporting startups pioneering in sectors such as embedded finance, alternative financing, and mobile-first services. These startups include Nigeria’s PaidHR, the US-based Foyer, Indonesia’s FinFra, and Kenya’s Flowcart.
Bridging a trillion-dollar financing gap
According to the World Bank’s Global Findex 2025, 1.6 billion adults remain unbanked, while micro, small, and medium enterprises face a $5.7 trillion annual funding gap.
Accion’s fund is designed to support fintech companies developing innovative technologies, such as conversational commerce and satellite-based risk assessment, to address these critical requirements.
Michael Schlein, Accion’s President and CEO, stated, “With the huge uptick in mobile technologies in emerging economies, we see a significant opportunity to connect many small businesses and low-income consumers to the digital economy for the first time”.
Beyond capital, Accion’s Portfolio Engagement team provides hands-on support, providing entrepreneurs with strategic guidance on governance, fundraising, and scaling. This all-encompassing strategy is designed to address the consistent obstacles encountered by fintech startups in the early stages of development across the globe.
This fund confirms Accion’s role in empowering fintech innovation to serve underserved global communities while offering potential financial rewards for investors. Their strategy to combine capital with deep operational support makes them a key player in today’s early-stage fintech investment space.