The Representative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Honduras, Eduardo Marques Almeida, yesterday presented the “Congress of Technological Innovation for Financial Services (Fintech)”, which will be held in Tegucigalpa on the 21st and 22nd of this month.

The membership, organized by the IDB, is sponsored by the Central Bank of Honduras (BCH), the Honduran Association of Banking Institutions (AHIBA), the National Commission of Banks and Insurance (CNBS), Tigo Business, Covelo Foundation, FUNDER and Life Foundation

The IDB Representative, Eduardo Marques Almeida, highlighted that “the Fintech sector is a vital engine to provide opportunities to those sectors that are more relegated from society, that is why from the IDB we want to promote financial inclusion as a catalyst for development “.

FERTILE SOIL

For his part, the president of the Central Bank of Honduras (BCH), Wilfredo Cerrato, said that “the financial system and its collateral services have found in Honduras a fertile ground for the adoption of innovative technologies to provide services.”

He added that the Central Bank of Honduras itself has been the driving force behind important innovations in financial services in recent decades, such as the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), electronic auctions or electronic data capture, among others.

In addition, Cerrato noted that “public policies to promote, encourage and take advantage of technological innovations must have a comprehensive approach, which benefits the ecosystem, protects consumers, reduces operators’ costs and at the same time avoids imposing limitations on the innovation”.

Likewise, the Executive Director of the Honduran Association of Banking Institutions (AHIBA), María Lydia Solano, acknowledged that “Fintech companies are a new reality in the financial market. Partnering with the IDB in this event guarantees having a legal and regulatory framework that attracts capable and qualified investors for the development of the Fintech in Honduras, which we anticipate will successfully support the banking efforts “.