Working with the financial services industry to achieve greater financial inclusion and climate responsiblity

Our origins

Fintech for Good was founded in 2013 by a group of finance professionals, tech engineers and economists in order to support the financial services industry with greater transparency, accountability and responsibility.

We seek to show what could be possible if society pursues more human-centric, sustainable and socially responsible systems for managing capital. We do this by sharing information within the network and funding creative and innovative projects that showcase financial inclusion, social governance and climate responsibility.

We are a movement, a participatory think-tank and foundation that puts its values in to practice. Fintech for Good is part of a wider network of communities advocating globally for systemic change through desynchronisation including members such as Nesta, The Finance Innovation Lab, The Smart CSOs Lab, The New Economic Foundation and many more.

100% of donated funds go towards our strategic campaigns

2020 campaigns and projects

image credit: Bank Job Pictures

Helping the financially vulnerable out of the debt trap

The financially marginalised are routinely encouraged to make use of short-term lending services. Alternative sources of money are limited and for the financially vulnerable, these payday term loans are sometimes the only viable option. However with loans typically bearing interest of 1,500% APR. these debt traps quickly spiral out of control.

Even with a very small initial principal, debtors can quickly become saddled with insurmountable debt and a negative credit rating, placing alternative forms of credit even further out of reach. Yet on the institutional side, these now non-performing loans are repackaged and resold at heavily discounted rates of as low as two or three pence in the pound.

We believe that this difference in market price for this debt is a fundamental market failure and the price should be the price, regardless of whether the buyer is a wholesale purchaser or the private debtor themselves.

In order to close this arbitrage gap, we buy payday lending debt from the institutional market and either sell it to the debtor at cost or we write it off completely, releasing the debtor to start to rebuild their credit rating. For every £10,000 raised in donations we write off around £600,000 in debts, changing the financial future of hundreds of people.

Enabling socially responsible finance projects

We manage a fund that issues grants, loans and investments to community-share and for-more-than-profit fintech projects. This fund supports projects worldwide which enable socio-economic change for financially disadvantaged communities and the low-carbon economy.

The fund is supported by Fintech for Good's generous corporate partners via their charitable contributions. In return, Fintech for good provides a powerful and cost-effective way to pool capital with other fintech organisation to manage grants, loans and micro-investments efficiently.

image credit: Lara Luna Bartley

Supporting artists working in the field of society and finance.

Art is not often thought of as a natural partner to finance, but art provides society with a universal language to communicate messages, ideas and emotions. Our artists in residence offer work on themes around the big questions in finance, the economy and society which enrich us all.

Fintech for Good supports artists working in finance through individual grants, residencies and the support of our network. Similarly, organisation members who are looking for artists can access our extensive network of financial artists.

Individual membership

Just starting out on your journey or an experienced ESG fintech leader?

Individual membership is free. Members can attend our public meetups, access our free online ESG and SDG training resources, receive information about campaign progress and contribute to discussions on Fintech for Good's public forums.

Startup and charity membership

For companies that are just starting out and not-for-profit organisations.

We run dedicated events for startups and charities including regular pitch events. Your organisation also gets a dedicated page on Fintech for Good's searchable, online database, can post to our news feed discounted corporate training and free online ESG training resources.

Growth-stage membership

For challengers, private companies and growth-stage fintech companies.

Growth-stage members receive discounted ESG auditing, corporate training and employee engagement resources, a dedicated page on Fintech for Good's searchable, online database where you can publish your performance, and free online ESG training resources.

Corporate/affiliate membership

For publically listed organisations and services companies.

Corporate organisations and service firms such as consultancies receive enhanced access to our database. They also receive discounted ESG auditing, training and employee engagement resources and a dedicated portal to publish their ESG impact performance.