--- title: "Announcing The Winners: Finance Forward MENA 2019" description: "Announcing The Winners: Finance Forward MENA 2019" image: https://newsandviews.vilcap.com/hubfs/EJ_tJq2XYAAv4Rv.jpeg --- [![Village Capital](https://newsandviews.vilcap.com/hubfs/VilCap_2019/LogoHorizontal-color_2022.png)](https://vilcap.com/news-and-views) ![Open menu](https://vilcap.com/images/hamburger.svg) Open Main Menu [Village Capital](https://vilcap.com/) ![Close menu](https://vilcap.com/images/close.svg) Close Main Menu - [Home](https://vilcap.com/) - About Us - [The Village Capital Story](https://vilcap.com/about-us/story) - [Our Team](https://vilcap.com/about-us/our-team) - [Careers](https://vilcap.com/careers) - [Programs for Entrepreneurs](https://vilcap.com/programs) - [Programs for Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs)](https://vilcap.com/eso-programs) - [News & Publications](https://vilcap.com/news-and-publications) - [Blogs](https://newsandviews.vilcap.com/posts) - [Press Releases](https://newsandviews.vilcap.com/press-releases) - [Reports](https://newsandviews.vilcap.com/reports) - How We Support Entrepreneurs - [Our Tools for Startups and ESO's](https://vilcap.com/our-tools) - [Peer-Selected Investment](https://vilcap.com/entrepreneurs/peer-selected-investment) - [Impact Investing](https://vilcap.com/impactinvesting) - [Our Alumni](https://vilcap.com/our-alumni) - [Become a Mentor](https://vilcap.com/mentors) - [Support Our Mission](https://vilcap.com/get-involved) - [Results & Impact](https://vilcap.com/results) [Donate](https://donorbox.org/donate-to-vilcap) January 8, 2020 # Announcing The Winners: Finance Forward MENA 2019 By Alicia Sornson - Share - [Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://newsandviews.vilcap.com/posts/announcing-the-winners-finance-forward-mena-2019&text=Announcing%20The%20Winners:%20Finance%20Forward%20MENA%202019) - [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://newsandviews.vilcap.com/posts/announcing-the-winners-finance-forward-mena-2019) - [LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://newsandviews.vilcap.com/posts/announcing-the-winners-finance-forward-mena-2019) ![EJ_tJq2XYAAv4Rv](https://newsandviews.vilcap.com/hs-fs/hubfs/EJ_tJq2XYAAv4Rv.jpeg?width=2048&name=EJ_tJq2XYAAv4Rv.jpeg) We’re excited to announce the winners of [Finance Forward: Middle East and North Africa 2019](https://vilcap.com/current-programs/fintech-forward-mena-2019), a Village Capital investment-readiness program held in Amman, Jordan in November in partnership with MetLife Foundation, an [advisory board](https://vilcap.com/current-programs/fintech-forward-mena-2019) of MENA-based investors and experts, and local partners including [Beyond Capital](http://beyondcapital.vc/) and [Endeavor Jordan.](http://www.endeavorjordan.org/?lang=en) Two fintech startups, [Solfeh](https://solfeh.com/) and [Kaoun](https://www.kaoun.com/en/), will share $50,000 in grant capital provided by MetLife Foundation after being selected by their peers through a process known as “[peer selected investment](https://vilcap.com/entrepreneurs/peer-selected-investment).” - Solfeh is a Jordanian micro-lending platform, providing same-day emergency cash advancements to salaried employees. - Kaoun enables unbanked and underbanked individuals and businesses access to financial services through identification, payment and credit solutions and is based in Tunisia. The cohort included eleven startups working on many aspects of financial health — including helping unbanked individuals gain access to formal financial services, creating digital identities for refugees and migrant workers, helping small business owners access affordable credit, and helping people in the region earn, save and invest for the future. The startups competed in a Venture Showcase in front of a panel of judges from MetLife Foundation, Endeavor Jordan, Flat6Labs and Arab Bank. [Kader](https://www.kaderapp.com/ar/jobseeker), a Jordanian-based online recruitment platform targeted towards blue-collar and fast-moving jobs, took home a cash prize of $5,000 from MetLife Foundation.  The program was part of Finance Forward, a multi-year global coalition led by founding partners [MetLife Foundation](https://www.metlife.com/corporate-responsibility/metlife-foundation/), [PayPal](https://www.paypal.com/mx/webapps/mpp/home?gclsrc=aw.ds&ds_rl=1246619&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6cHoBRDdARIsADiTTzZh2Pr_aiCbXq4Lq5zZxgXaAH2nGB1wIqHPBpSbDVB8OCSLq4wH-fwaAoXSEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds), and Village Capital to support entrepreneurs on four continents who are building tech-enabled solutions to challenges around financial health, economic mobility, and community resilience. *Village Capital operates the most active financial health accelerator in the world, including more than 20 past accelerators and bootcamps that have supported more than 200 startups. In 2019 Village Capital was named [Best Fintech Accelerator](https://finovate.com/drumroll-finovate-awards-winners-announced/) by Finovate.* ### Join our newsletter community By Alicia Sornson Our newsletters share the latest about our programs, trends, ecosystem leaders, and innovative entrepreneurs in the impact world. Get the latest insights, right in your inbox by subscribing: Subscribe Village Capital needs the contact information you provide to us to contact you about our products and services. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. 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