The GSMA is taking applications for grants of £100,000 to £250,000 for startups that use AI to improve people’s financial health. Applicants must be small or growing for-profit companies in Africa, South Asia or South-East Asia, and the deadline is 17 December 2026 at 23:59 UTC.
Pakistani fintech and AI founders sit inside that South Asia region. Winners also get tailored venture-building support alongside the money.
The GSMA wants products that go beyond giving people access to a mobile wallet or account. Each solution has to contribute to at least one of three outcomes: resilience and protection, such as AI fraud detection or early-warning alerts; financial agency and control, such as coaching or guidance in local languages; or long-term security, such as tools for saving, planning or matching people with work.
Priority goes to products for people who are often left out, women, girls and people with disabilities among them. A company has to show that AI is doing real work in its product, and every applicant must agree to have its AI assessed for responsible use. Full priorities, terms and FAQs are on the fund’s page, which also lists webinars on how to apply.
Mobile money has spread widely across low- and middle-income countries over the past decade, and the GSMA says the question has shifted from who owns an account to whether people can cope with shocks, make better decisions and plan ahead. It adds that evidence on which AI approaches really help, and for whom, is still uneven, which is part of why it wants applicants to be measurable about results.
The GSMA says the fund is financed by the UK government through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, with support from the GSMA and its members. Applications are made through the GSMA’s page, and updates are posted on the GSMA’s LinkedIn and newsletter.
