Hey buddy👋, happy new month & welcome back here. Let's talk about Finance & Technology Today!

Financial Inclusion is a key goal for policymakers around the world. Yet women remain unbanked or underbanked relative to men.

Did you know that majority of fintech founders are men?

In the world of startups, the global fintech founder community is still dominated by men, with women making up just 7% of the total pool. Deloitte report 2019

Hold Up, What Is FinTech 💁‍♀️?

Fintech refers to the integration of technology into offerings by financial services companies in order to improve their use and delivery to consumers.

So it's basically a portmanteau of Finance and Technology.

TL;DR 🙂

The Stats 〽

The fintech industry has made slow but steady progress increasing the number of startups founded by women.

In Uganda, that global per cent drastically reduces.

The FinTech Gender gap 👩🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏿

World Bank findings suggest that fintech is not (yet) making good on its promise: there is a sizable “fintech gender gap.” While 29% of men in the survey use fintech, only 21% of women do — a gap of 8 percentage points.

A Call To Action 📌

Well, through its Include Everyone Program, HiPipo identifies, analyzes, and promotes trends and innovations in Digital Financial Services (DFS). During an event held in Uganda earlier in 2020, 40-Days-40-FinTechs, HiPipo noted that only 10% of participating FinTechs were women.

In a country(Uganda) where 40% of all small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are owned by women, it is paramount to increase the participation of women in FinTechs.

In September 2020, ModusBox partnered with HiPipo to bring together 15 Teams of female-led FinTechs to participate in the Women in FinTech Hackathon, a platform that works to develop products and solutions that help improve the lives of their fellow women.

About The Hackathon 🛠

The underlying theme of the Women in FinTech Hackathon is to foster leadership, innovation, and championing women empowerment. The hackathon introduces ambitious women in FinTech to trending, innovative tech solutions, and networks such as the Mojaloop OSS Community.

It is organised by HiPipo in partnership with Crosslake Technologies, Modusbox and Mojaloop Foundation.

So this year will be the second edition of the Hackathon which comes after the successful 2020 inaugural edition.

Registration & Other Details 📑

What: Women in FinTech Hackathon

When: 08➖14 October (Hackathon, Hive Colab), 15 October ( Summit, Mestil Hotel)

Where: Hive Colab + Mestil Hotel

Who: The best and brightest women and their allies in the FinTech ecosystem.

Website: Digital Impact Awards

Important Dates:

🎈 21st September to 4th October: Online Registration.
🎈 5th October: Eligible participants announced.
🎈 8th to 14th October: Women in FinTech hackathon underway.
🎈 15th October: Women in FinTech summit.

Eligibility:

🎈 A team of 2 to 4 developers.
🎈 The team leader must be a woman.
🎈 75 per cent of team members must be women.
🎈 Must be Ugandans

Benefits:

🎈 Networking with fellow Developers and Facilitators from across the World.
🎈 Mentorship from Industry Players and Business Leaders.
🎈 Access to latest infrastructure and technology.
🎈 USD 5000 Prize Money to be shared by the winning teams.
🎈 Fully paid 90 days Incubator Program for three top teams.

Prize Money Breakdown:

🎈 Winning Team : USD2000 and participation in 90 Days Incubator Program
🎈 First Runner Up : USD1000 and participation in 90 Days Incubator Program
🎈 Second Runner Up: participation in 90 Days Incubator Program.

Conclusion

Well, that's it! Now before you count your chicks before they are hatched, go and find your group and bring that idea to life.

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Happy Learning 🚀 Happy Coding ✨ Happy Hacking 🛠

Ronnie Atuhaire 😎