Closing on: May 22, 2026
Fintech organisations building solutions that improve safety, transparency, and trust are invited to apply for the Trust by Design Fintech Challenge 2026. Organised by Accion, the challenge will award one $50,000 Grand Prize and three $10,000 awards to finalists, alongside recognition, investor visibility, and a sponsored trip to the Fintech for Inclusion Global Summit 2026 in London.
With approximately 740 million women globally remaining financially excluded, the challenge spotlights market-tested solutions that demonstrate how responsible design, gender-disaggregated data, and customer-centric thinking can build lasting trust and drive financial inclusion at scale.
Who Can Apply:
Eligible applicants include:
- Fintech companies, lenders, and neobanks
- Financial institutions and microfinance institutions
- Technology providers supporting financial services
- Platforms embedding financial products such as payments, credit, insurance, or savings
Applicants must:
- Offer digitally enabled financial services already live in-market
- Demonstrate measurable improvements in safety, transparency, or customer trust
- Use gender-disaggregated data to inform product design or customer protection
- Serve women customers with evidence of active usage
- Operate in or have credible plans to expand into at least one emerging market
What Winners Receive:
- $50,000 Grand Prize for the overall winner
- $10,000 each for three finalists
- A complimentary ticket, airfare, and hotel accommodation to the Fintech for Inclusion Global Summit 2026 in London
- Feature in an industry toolkit highlighting innovations in trust-building fintech
- Visibility among a global network of impact and commercial investors
