UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s least developed countries. It creates new opportunities for poor people and their communities by increasing access to microfinance and investment capital.  UNCDF focuses on Africa and the poorest countries of Asia and the Pacific, with a special commitment to countries emerging from conflict or crisis.  It provides seed capital – grants and loans – and technical support to help finance and non-finance institutions reach more poor households and small businesses, and local governments finance the capital investments – water systems, feeder roads, schools, irrigation schemes – that will improve poor peoples’ lives.  Established by the General Assembly in 1966 and with headquarters in New York, UNCDF is an autonomous UN organization affiliated with UNDP.

In partnership and with funding from Metlife Foundation UNCDF expanded its activities to Malaysia and China in 2018. While both countries show significant progress in terms of financial inclusion, low and middle-income people in China and Malaysia have limited access and usage of financial services that address challenges and improve their daily lives. A key barrier is that (digital) finance providers do not prioritize reaching lower income markets, mostly because they are not convinced of the business case. 

Innovation hub: UNCDF’s objective is to drive financial health by supporting the development of a start-up ecosystem for digital services strengthening the culture of innovation that focusses on the emergence of new or improved digital services that answer the needs of low and middle-income population segments. Through its innovation approach, UNCDF will introduce established service providers to new business models which involves crowding-in services and tools developed by start-up companies. Also, UNCDF will work closely with start-up companies to develop services that address the customer needs and barriers in access of lower income population segments, and consequently drive usage of financial services.

UNCDF wishes to help make a case to CEOs of private sector companies and directors of development organizations that there is both a business case and a policy imperative to ensure that the benefits of digital finance and solutions are broadly shared across all income spectrums as well as provide guidance on how each of the different actors (private companies and development organizations) can contribute to this goal in a responsible manner.

A summary of UNCDF engagement in Malaysia and China can be found at: https://nextbillion.net/internalizing-innovation-in-financial-inclusion/

UNCDF is looking for a firm to provide Communication, Public Relations (PR) and Event Management services to its innovating hub in Malaysia.

The aim of these activities in combination would be to achieve specific results where the supported partnerships develop new use-cases that resonate with the target segments and at same time raise awareness on the importance of digital finance and solutions for the financial health and well-being of low-to-moderate income people.  UNCDF wishes to help make a case to CEOs of private sector companies and directors of development organizations that there is both a business case and a policy imperative to ensure that the benefits of digital finance and solutions are broadly shared across all income spectrums as well as provide guidance on how each of the different actors (private companies and development organizations) can contribute to this goal in a responsible manner.

The expected duration of the assignment is 12 months and it can be extended based on continued need and satisfactory performance up to a maximum of 3 years.

Deadline for submissions: 7 January 2019, 18.00 p.m., EST to the email address: [email protected]