The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Mastercard have joined forces to launch the “Mastercard Challenge on Financial Inclusion for the SDGs” in Bahrain. This competition, in partnership with BENEFIT, Tamkeen, and StartUp Bahrain, aims to encourage university students to come up with innovative solutions to enhance financial inclusion and support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Financial inclusion plays a crucial role in achieving the SDGs by reducing inequalities, improving well-being, promoting gender equality, fostering economic growth, and supporting job creation. The competition seeks to empower Bahrain’s youth to utilize financial inclusion, digitization, and data to drive sustainable development and economic growth. By fostering youth-led innovations, the competition hopes to inspire a new generation of solutions that can have a lasting impact.
The Mastercard Challenge offers winning students a variety of benefits, including enrollment in the Mastercard Academy for one year and a visit to Mastercard’s EEMEA headquarters. Winners will also have the opportunity to complete a paid internship at BENEFIT to further develop and scale their solutions. Participants will receive mentorship, technical expertise, and training from Mastercard and BENEFIT to help bring their ideas to fruition.
Open to undergraduate and postgraduate students in Bahrain, the competition encourages participants from all disciplines to explore real-life challenges facing the SDGs in various sectors. The application deadline is July 31st, 2024, and successful applicants will be invited to participate in a three-week intensive Summer Bootcamp organized by Tamkeen and StartUp Bahrain in August 2024.
The Summer Bootcamp will provide participants with insights on the SDGs, sustainability in the age of AI, entrepreneurship mentorship, and coaching. Leading experts will deliver sessions on the role of digitization, financial inclusion, and data as key enablers to tackle developmental challenges. Participants will also receive certificates naming them as “Ambassadors for the SDGs” from the United Nations Resident Coordinator Office in Bahrain. The competition will culminate in a semifinals pitch in September 2024, followed by a Finalists Pitch at the Fintech Forward 2024 conference in October 2024.
University students in Bahrain who are interested in participating in the Mastercard Challenge can find more information and apply at (https://benefit.bh/mastercardChallenge). This competition serves as a unique opportunity for young change-makers to make a positive impact on their community through innovative solutions and contribute to the advancement of the SDGs in Bahrain and beyond.
