What is the name of your solution?
AAvance digital wallet
Provide a one-line summary of your solution.
Digital wallet for Colombian returnees and Venezuelan immigrants
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
The crisis in Venezuela has generated a massive exodus of citizens in search of better opportunities in other countries, such as Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador. Considering only Colombia, more than two and a half million Venezuelans have crossed the border to settle down and rebuild their lives. However, migrants face a fundamental problem: lack of access to banking and financial services. Because of their immigration status, they do not have the necessary documents to open bank accounts or access other essential financial services, which can hinder their ability to send remittances to their families, seek employment and protect themselves from financial exploitation. In addition, lack of access to financial services can foster the informal economy and financial crime, which negatively impacts society at large. Moreover, this situation can have a significant emotional impact on migrants, who may feel isolated and marginalized, making it difficult for them to integrate into the host society and their ability to build a new life for themselves and their families.
It is important to find effective solutions for the banking of the Venezuelan immigrant population, which will improve their ability to build a better and more stable life in their destination country. With access to essential financial services, they will be able to conduct basic business transactions, protect themselves from financial exploitation and improve their overall quality of life. In addition, the implementation of innovative and accessible solutions for banking can help prevent informal economy and financial crime, which will have a positive impact on society in general.
What is your solution?
AAvance is an innovative financial inclusion solution consisting of a digital wallet with debit card. This tool allows people to make transactions safely, easily and conveniently, from their cell phone or with a physical card without charge of handling fee.
With the AAvance debit card you can make virtual purchases and in physical establishments using contactless technology. In addition, the digital wallet allows to recharge, move, make interbank transfers and withdraw money in more than 24 thousand points throughout the national territory.
Financial inclusion is one of Avance’s main goals, so it has designed a registration program for people who do not have access to traditional banking services. Thus, the digital wallet can be registered with the Colombian citizenship card or with the PPT (Temporary Stay Permit), a document that Colombia has granted to Venezuelan immigrants.
AAvance also seeks to help people improve their credit history, so people registered in the datacredito will be reported so they can start to have a positive record in the banking system.
Finally, AAvance is not only a financial tool, but also cares about the financial education of its users. For this reason, it offers access to financial education content, courses and games so that people can improve their skills and knowledge in this area.
In short, AAvance is a comprehensive financial inclusion solution that uses technology to give people access to quality banking services and financial education. With AAvance, people can make transactions safely, easily and comfortably, regardless of their economic status or immigration status.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
AAvance is a financial inclusion solution designed to serve the Venezuelan immigrant population in Colombia, returning Colombians, as well as anyone who has difficulty accessing traditional financial services. This population is currently in a vulnerable situation, as due to their immigration status, they do not have access to essential banking and financial services, which hinders their ability to conduct basic business transactions, send remittances to their families and protect themselves from financial exploitation.
The AAvance digital wallet allows Venezuelan unbanking immigrants in Colombia to make transactions safely, easily and comfortably, from their cell phone or with a physical card without charge of handling fee. In addition, the AAvance registration program allows people to register with the Colombian citizenship card or with the PPT (Temporary Stay Permit), a document that Colombia has granted to Venezuelan immigrants.
AAvance not only gives them access to essential financial services, but also gives them access to financial education content, courses and games to improve their skills and knowledge in this area. In addition, AAvance seeks to help people improve their credit history by reporting to users registered in the datacredito, which will allow them to start having a positive record in the banking system.
In short, AAvance is a comprehensive solution that addresses the needs of the Venezuelan immigrant population in Colombia and anyone who has difficulty accessing traditional financial services. Through financial inclusion and financial education, AAvance will positively impact their lives by allowing them to safely transact, protect themselves from financial exploitation, improve their credit history and improve their overall quality of life.
How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?
AAvance is well positioned to develop this solution because it has a deep connection with the population it is serving. We believe that solutions are most effective when they are developed in collaboration with people who have a connection with the problem, which is why part of our staff is or has been part of the population that our help is focused on. The main responsable of AAvance has led projects in Colombia benefiting Venezuelan migrants and refugees for the last 5 years. These projects have been supported by international cooperation agencies, since then it has involved its labor development in participating in processes or initiatives that seek to help and improve the welfare of the Venezuelan population. In addition, several members of our team come from environments similar to the target population, which has given us a unique perspective on their experiences and challenges.
Thanks to the same experience of the founders of AAvance, as well as an analysis of the current financial market, it was possible to formulate a product that responds to the needs of the Venezuelan migrant community. Likewise, AAvance is also generating alliances are various organizations focused on serving this population to achieve impact as many people as possible
Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?
Other
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Cúcuta and Bogotá
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
What is your solution’s stage of development?
Prototype: A venture or organization building and testing its product, service, or business model, but which is not yet serving anyone
How many people does your solution currently serve?
We haven't released the card. but we hope to impact a million people.
Why are you applying to Solve?
AAvance is applying to Solve because we believe that this platform can help us expand our network and connect with more programs, projects, and NGOs focused on supporting the Venezuelan migrant population. By collaborating with other organizations, we can create a mutually beneficial partnership where programs can gain access to financial tools that directly connect them with the target population, and AAvance can increase our impact by sharing resources and best practices.
We recognize that the challenges facing Venezuelan migrants are complex and multifaceted, and we believe that working collaboratively with other organizations is essential to creating sustainable solutions. By joining the Solve community, we hope to connect with like-minded individuals and organizations who share our commitment to addressing these challenges and who can provide valuable insights and support as we continue to develop our programs.
Additionally, we believe that participating in Solve will provide us with a unique platform to showcase our work and share our successes with a wider audience. We are proud of the impact we have made so far and believe that by participating in Solve, we can increase our visibility and attract new partners and supporters who share our vision for a more just and equitable world.
In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?
Who is the Team Lead for your solution?
Jesualdo Arzuaga Ramirez
What makes your solution innovative?
AAvance is an innovative solution that addresses the problem of financial exclusion faced by Venezuelan migrants in Colombia in a new and significantly improved way. Unlike traditional banks that require extensive documentation and have high fees, AAvance is a digital wallet that allows users to perform financial transactions with ease and convenience, without any monthly maintenance fees. The solution is designed specifically to meet the needs of the underbanked population, including Venezuelan migrants, who are often excluded from financial services due to their lack of documentation or formal employment.
One of the unique features of AAvance is its registration process, which allows users to register with their Colombian ID or the PPT document issued to Venezuelan migrants by the Colombian government. This ensures that even those without formal documentation can access financial services and begin to build a positive credit history.
Another innovative aspect of AAvance is its focus on financial education. The solution not only provides financial services but also offers educational content, courses, and games to help users improve their financial literacy and decision-making skills. This is an essential component of long-term financial inclusion, as it helps users understand the value of saving, budgeting, and investing, and enables them to make informed financial decisions.
What are your impact goals for the next year and the next five years, and how will you achieve them?
Obtain five significant alliances with different NGOs for the launch of the AAvance pilot plan in June 2023.
Get six thousand records on the financial education platform by the end of 2023.
Reach one million users for the AAvance application by July 2024.
Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals does your solution address?
How are you measuring your progress toward your impact goals?
Number of people who have registered with AAvance
Number of transactions made through the platform
Percentage of registered users belonging to the target population
Number of users who accessed the financial education courses provided by the platform
Percentage of users using the platform after a given 6 months
What is your theory of change?
AAvance aims to address the problem of financial exclusion faced by Venezuelan migrants in Colombia. By providing a digital wallet and debit card, AAvance makes it possible for people without access to traditional banking services to safely and easily carry out financial transactions, such as paying bills and sending money to family members.
The key activities that AAvance will undertake to achieve its goals are registering people for the digital wallet, offering financial education and providing access to data credit reporting. These activities will lead to immediate outputs such as increased access to financial services, improved financial literacy and a positive credit score. These outputs are expected to contribute to longer-term outcomes such as reduced financial exclusion, improved economic stability and greater social inclusion of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia.
Describe the core technology that powers your solution.
Our solution is directly an easy and intuitive application a tool allows people to make transactions safely, easily and conveniently, from their cell phone or with a physical card without charge of handling fee.
Which of the following categories best describes your solution?
A new application of an existing technology
Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:
If your solution has a website or an app, provide the links here:
https://www.aavance.com/
In which countries do you currently operate?
In which countries will you be operating within the next year?
What type of organization is your solution team?
Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
How many people work on your solution team?
6
How long have you been working on your solution?
1 year
What is your approach to incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusivity into your work?
Currently, AAvance has a staff made up of 50% women and 50% men. With a view to future growth, AAvance has decided to implement a blind initial selection process for resumes. This means that no judgments will be made based on candidates' identity, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion or other personal factors during selection. In this way, it is ensured that the selection is based solely on the skills, experience and qualifications of the applicants, which will allow AAvance to attract and retain a diverse and talented group of professionals.
What is your business model?
AAvance is a financial technology (FinTech) company that offers a *digital savings wallet in Colombia. Through our alliance with Banco Cooperativo Coopcentral, we operate as a digital bank without the need to invest capital or assume operating costs, since we pay a kind of franchise to the bank, which has the investment and regulatory controls.
Our income plan is based on different kind of commissions:
Visa commissions every time our clients use the physical or virtual debit card. In addition, with the integration of the Visa Direct tool, we will offer a solution for sending and receiving money globally in real time, which will generate income for each transaction made by our clients.
Commissions for third-party services, such as cell phone recharges, insurance purchases, and utility bills, when our customers use our digital wallet.
In addition, we generate income from the information and reference of clients who request credits through our partner Multiprestamo or any other third party that offers credits to our clients.
Do you primarily provide products or services directly to individuals, to other organizations, or to the government?
Individual consumers or stakeholders (B2C)What is your plan for becoming financially sustainable?
The AAVance income plan is based on:
Visa commissions every time our clients use the physical or virtual debit card. In addition, with the integration of the Visa Direct tool, we will offer a solution for sending and receiving money globally in real time, which will generate income for each transaction made by our clients.
Commissions for third-party services, such as cell phone recharges, insurance purchases, and utility bills, when our customers use our digital wallet.
In addition, we generate income from the information and reference of clients who request credits through our partner Multiprestamo or any other third party that offers credits to our clients.
Solution Team
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Jesualdo Arzuaga Federación Nacional de Personerías de Colombia/ AAVANCE
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Magreth Gutierrez Founder & CEO, AAvance
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John Herreño COO, AAvance
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Alonso Marin AAVANCE SAS
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Our Organization
AAvance