280 million migrants can't open a bank account because they lack the right documents. BridgeWallet fixes that in 3 minutes — no passport needed.
Banks require a passport, proof of address and local credit history. Refugees and migrants often have none of these through no fault of their own.
Without a bank account, migrants pay 10–15% to informal brokers just to send money home to their families.
No savings, no insurance, no credit, no stability. The cycle of exclusion traps entire communities.
Maria fled Venezuela with no documents. She arrived in Colombia and needed a bank account to receive her wages and send money home to her children. Every bank turned her away. She resorted to paying 12% just to transfer money — money her family desperately needed.
BridgeWallet combines biometric verification with alternative credentials to create a reusable digital identity that banks accept.
Four converging forces make this the right moment to build BridgeWallet.
The EU is legally mandating digital identity wallets across all member states from 2024. Regulation is building the infrastructure BridgeWallet needs.
The UK's Financial Conduct Authority has an explicit mandate to improve financial access for underserved populations — a regulatory open door.
The global AML body now officially permits risk-based alternative KYC for underserved groups — our model is compliant by design.
Geopolitical instability and climate migration mean the 280M figure grows every year. The market expands while no adequate solution exists.
Existing platforms serve migrants incidentally. BridgeWallet serves them intentionally.
We have built a working prototype demonstrating the full onboarding journey — from identity verification to financial access in 3 minutes.
BridgeWallet is seeking founding partners, investors and community supporters who share our mission — giving every person, regardless of their background or circumstance, equal access to financial services.
If you believe financial access is a human right, we want to hear from you. We are looking for:
BridgeWallet was developed through academic research into the barriers migrants face when accessing financial services globally. Specialising in fintech, digital identity and financial inclusion, Raphael identified a critical gap in the market that no existing platform addresses — and built BridgeWallet to fill it. The mission is simple: financial access is a human right, and no one should be excluded because of where they were born or what they have been through.
Connect on LinkedIn →Join the waitlist and be among the first to access BridgeWallet when we launch in the UK. Together we can give millions of people the financial access they deserve.