LatAm List – Colombia’s stock exchange launches a crowd-funding platform that aims to support small businesses and startups in Colombia with funds raised from the public.
“a2censo” is a digital ecosystem that allows members of the public to make investments from C$200K ($58) in exchange for company bonds which will offer returns with interest.
“The initiative is meant to create an alternative source of financing for the more than two million small and medium-sized businesses via a technology tool that will allow companies to gather their financing need with the saving that people want yields from,” explained Juan Pablo Cordoba, President of the BVC.
The funding initiative comes after a $1B investment in Colombia’s most famous startup, Rappi, from Japan’s SoftBank.
“We want to democratize access to the stock market, based on a collaborative crowdfunding model, that allows any Colombian to give the opportunity to invest in local projects,” added Cordoba.
The a2censo platform is supported by the commerce ministry, the Inter-American Development Bank, and other Colombian organizations.
Read more on KFGO.