Banco Hipotecario: Best Financial Inclusion Banking Strategy Central America 2023

Banco Hipotecario, a state bank of El Salvador, prioritises financial inclusion for all municipalities and individuals across the country. It tailors services to fit the needs of the population and seeks to remove obstacles to credit approval.

It has established a specialised unit to listen to clients and address their financial challenges without exclusion. Gender equality and financial empowerment are of paramount importance at Banco Hipotecario, which has launched a range of credit lines specifically for women. Women tend to oversee household spending, with an average of 89 percent of women worldwide controlling or sharing daily shopping needs. Banco Hipotecario gives women access to the financial products to buy their own home, further their professional development and improve social well-being for themselves and their families. The bank provides educational resources to help aspiring entrepreneurs launch an enterprise and help established SMEs optimise operations. It offers products for agribusinesses and microenterprises, including street merchants. Banco Hipotecario is embracing blockchain technologies. It has incorporated bitcoin into the financial system and instructs clients on how to use this emergent fintech tool. Banco Hipotecario is a people-centric, solutions-driven financial institution that treats all Salvadorans as partners in the wealth creation and socio-economic development of the country. It assesses applicant credit worthiness by the analysis of capital flow rather the formality of their circumstances.

The CFI.co judging panel congratulates Banco Hipotecario — a repeat programme winner — on claiming the 2023 award for Best Financial Inclusion Banking Strategy (Central America).