ECCB designates CaribePay under Payment Systems

ECCB designates CaribePay under Payment Systems

“The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank has just approved it, paving the way for us to approach other countries for licences. But it takes a lot of money to go into those countries – to provide the systems to merchants and cards to customers. Through the Expo Live grant, we want to make this a reality.”

World Expos, which trace their origins back to the 1851 Great Exhibition in London, have always celebrated the latest in innovation and technology.

The Expo Live programme was launched in January 2017, following a pilot phase last year. It aims to stimulate innovation that has a social benefit, by supporting winning projects with funding, business guidance and promotion. Successful applicants will also have the chance to showcase their work to many millions of visitors to Expo 2020 Dubai.

To date, the programme has attracted more than 1,100 applicants from 107 countries around the world. Following a rigorous evaluation process, which included live presentations in Dubai in August, 16 grantees from 14 countries have joined Expo Live’s community of Global Innovators. With these new members from the second cycle, the community now comprises 45 Expo Live Global Innovators from 30 countries.

Yousuf Caires, Vice President at Expo Live, said: "We are delighted to support CaribePay. This is a very forwardthinking project that has been designed to solve a problem that is critical to St Kitts and Nevis, but can also be applied to many other parts of the world where there is a need for a secure, fast and cashless payment system that is not dependent on phone or internet access.

“We see innovation not as the process of generating ideas, but as the relentless commitment to solving a problem worth solving. It is the global innovators’ character, their drive and their reasons for choosing this path – the path of a change-maker – that earns them a place in our Expo Live family and the opportunity to inspire millions at Expo 2020 Dubai.”

The third cycle of the Innovation Impact Grant Programme is now open and will receive creative and innovative solutions to real life challenges by 2 December. Interested applicants with projects that generate social and environmental value and are in line with Expo 2020 Dubai’s subthemes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability can find out more and apply at www.expo2020dubai.ae/expo-live.

Caires added: “We want to prove that innovation can come from anywhere, to everyone. If you have a solution that improves lives, we are here to listen and we are here to welcome you to our community of innovators.”

To find out more about the winning project visit: www.caribepay.com.