The GSMA has opened applications for its Innovation Fund for AI-Enabled Financial Health, offering eligible small and growing businesses grants of between £100,000 and £250,000, along with tailored venture-building support. The fund is open to eligible for-profit enterprises in Pakistan, Africa, South Asia and South-East Asia, and it aims to support solutions powered by artificial intelligence that improve financial health, particularly for underserved populations, including women and girls and people with disabilities. Pakistani fintech startups and other eligible enterprises that are building financial tools with artificial intelligence can apply, and applications close on 17 December 2026.
Financial health is the main goal of the fund, which will support initiatives that help people manage financial shocks, make informed financial decisions and build long-term financial security. Potential applications include tools that help users budget, save, understand their financial choices and prepare for unexpected expenses. The GSMA has also said that it will prioritize solutions that clearly show the added value of artificial intelligence compared with traditional digital approaches, and that it requires every applicant to commit to responsible artificial intelligence assessments. This means startups will need to explain why artificial intelligence improves their product and how they plan to use it responsibly with vulnerable users.
Selected businesses will receive grant funding and additional support to develop and scale their solutions. The fund is currently funded by the United Kingdom government through its Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and is supported by the GSMA and its members. For Pakistani founders, the call arrives at a time when digital payments and mobile finance are growing and many users still lack tools that help them plan, save and manage risk. Startups working on personalized financial coaching, guidance in local languages, savings tools or early warning information for financial shocks may find a fit with the focus areas of the fund.
Interested businesses can review the eligibility criteria and application instructions on the official GSMA Innovation Fund page before the deadline of 17 December 2026. The GSMA is also holding applicant webinars, with the first scheduled for Wednesday, November 25, to explain the fund and offer advice on how to prepare an application. Startups that plan to apply should confirm that they are registered for-profit businesses, prepare a clear case for the role of artificial intelligence in their product and plan their application well ahead of the closing date.
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