10009293-Development of inclusive financial services and products

Iraq faces a persistent gap between its people and the financial system. Banks have long leaned on large state-owned institutions, credit has flowed mainly to established borrowers, and micro and small businesses along with women entrepreneurs and displaced communities have been largely left out. ProDIGI project, full name Promoting Employment in the Digital and Green Economy in Iraq, is trying to change that in a practical, grounded way.

ProDIGI is a multi-donor initiative commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), co-financed by the European Union, and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The project covers central and southern Iraq as well as the Kurdistan Region, with a focus on areas where joblessness, displacement, and limited access to services overlap. Within the project, Output 3 targets the financial inclusion side of the challenge.

The starting point is a clear-eyed look at what the sector lacks: financial service providers that are capable, willing, and equipped to design products that fit the people they are supposed to serve. Banks and microfinance institutions in Iraq today mostly offer standardised products with high collateral requirements and limited digital capabilities. Reaching women led small businesses, rural communities, or young entrepreneurs running green or tech ventures requires a different kind of product, and often a different kind of institution.

To bridge that gap, the project works directly with Iraqi financial service providers: banks, microfinance institutions, digital payment companies, fintechs, and government lending programmes. The approach combines needs assessments, hands-on advisory services, staff training, product design support, and pilot testing. The goal is not to deliver a finished product from outside, but to build the knowledge and process capacity within each institution so that change remains after the project ends.

By the close of the assignment, at least three new or significantly adapted financial products must be in place, and these products must be actively reaching real users at a minimum of 950 individuals and 50 companies. The work also emphasises gender equality: women-led businesses are a priority target group, and all capacity-building activities must include a meaningful share of women participants. The broader context matters too.

Iraq's Central Bank launched the national financial inclusion strategy that encourages digital payments, SME lending, and consumer protection improvements. ProDIGI project aligns directly with those priorities, making it both a practical intervention at the level of individual institutions and a contribution to the country's wider financial sector development. The selected firm will work directly with three to five financial service providers (FSPs) operating in Iraq.

These may include commercial banks, microfinance institutions, digital payment providers, fintechs, and government lending schemes. GIZ will have pre-selected up to two FSPs before the contract starts, so work can begin without delay. The remaining FSPs will be selected by the contractor and GIZ jointly, based on agreed criteria.