The focus of this window is to enable institutions undertake innovative pilots that can use a wide range of entities (supermarkets, petrol stations, shops and CBFIs, etc). Coupled with the widespread use of mobile phones, the range of options will be widened for low cost rural outreach and avoidance of security risks.
One of the main bottlenecks is the limited capacity of small institutions to develop branchless banking platforms by mobilizing, incentivizing and managing an adequate distribution network of retail agencies. This window will support smaller institutions to overcome this bottleneck while also enabling larger institutions to develop products suited to the rural areas.
The minimum co-financing ratio is 60:40, with a maximum contribution from RUFEP of $200,000. In which case, the applicant would contribute a minimum of $133,333, for a project total of at least $333,333.