From a solution to repurpose cold plasma to treat seeds to 3D printed living seawalls, the eighth annual awards honor new and inspiring solutions to the most daunting challenges of today.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 14, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The winners of Fast Company’s 2024 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, highlighting fresh sustainability initiatives, cutting-edge AI developments, ambitious pursuits of social equity, and other creative projects that are helping mold the world.

PayJoy, the leading lender to the underserved in emerging markets, has been named a Finalist in the Finance category for its new PayJoy Card redefining how fair lending is done for the underbanked. Since its founding in 2015, PayJoy has been helping the underserved escape poverty and gain economic freedom by turning smartphones into collateral for lending, allowing them to build credit. Now, with the PayJoy Card, PayJoy provides even more value by bringing them further along their credit journey.

By fixing the total amount customers have to pay upfront, the PayJoy Card is redefining how fair lending is done for the underbanked. With no late fees, no hidden costs or surprises, the PayJoy Card guides borrowers away from traditional alternatives and debt traps. Accessible through a secure app, the Card empowers users to access funds which they can use to pay for everyday essentials – from groceries to household expenses, transportation, and more. Its user-friendly interface has gained massive attraction and growth.

This year’s World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 50 winners, 127 finalists, and 172 honorable mentions—with health, education, energy, and AI among the most popular categories. A panel of Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners from a pool of more than 1,300 entries across climate, social justice, wellness, politics, technology, corporate social responsibility, and more. Several new categories were added this year, including beauty and fashion, health products, health services, materials, and science and technology. The 2024 awards feature entries from across the globe, including the Republic of Korea, Brazil, and Madagascar.

Fast Company’s Spring 2024 issue (on newsstands May 21, 2024) will unveil some of the world’s most creative minds and pioneering organizations that are seeking to disrupt the status quo. The solutions cover everything from renewable energy storage and waste in the fashion industry to a building made entirely from recycled concrete and a fridge that’s solar-powered and designed to run off the grid.

“PayJoy is redefining how fair lending is done for the underbanked and it’s an honor to be recognized by Fast Company for our work,” said Doug Ricket, Founder and CEO of PayJoy. “A credit card may sound basic to those of us from a financially privileged background – my parents gave me a card to get gas when I started driving as a teenager – but PayJoy’s customers have been excluded from the modern financial system their whole lives. The PayJoy card is opening the door to fair credit to these individuals for the first time in their lives, helping them kick off their credit journey and successfully climb the ladder to financial success.”

“I was struck this year by the global sweep of the honorees,” says Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan. “It’s endlessly inspiring to see how the world is coming together to devise inventive solutions to our most challenging problems. We need ideas from everywhere, and this year’s World Changing Ideas Awards are an extraordinary encapsulation of the innovation and creativity that is so abundant around the globe.”

About PayJoy
PayJoy is a Public Benefit Corporation that provides a fair and responsible entry point for individuals in emerging markets to access the modern financial system, build credit, achieve economic freedom, and access digital connectivity. Founded in 2015, PayJoy has provided credit to more than 10 million customers across Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, Colombia, and the Philippines. PayJoy runs profitably and employs over 1,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit https://www.payjoy.com/.

ABOUT THE WORLD CHANGING IDEAS AWARDS: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company’s major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and bold concepts that make the world better. Judges choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to work on solving the problems that affect us all.

ABOUT FAST COMPANY
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at http://www.fastcompany.com.

Media Contact
Tisha Ferraro, PayJoy, 9255881610, payjoy@thekeypr.com

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