AI Capital Exchange, the world’s first AI-powered debt lending platform connecting institutional investors, lenders, agencies and borrowers globally.

The platform – AI Capital Exchange - was conceptualized, built, and developed entirely by Persaud over four months, using artificial intelligence to power a first-of-its-kind cross-border capital-matching system. In a global financing environment where emerging markets, including the Caribbean, often struggle to access affordable debt capital, the platform aims to level the playing field for entrepreneurs and governments alike.

“AI Capital Exchange is proof that we can build solutions that reshape the global financial landscape – starting from our community,” said Persaud.

The platform pre-qualifies borrowers and matches them with lenders for:
• Commercial real estate
• Renewable energy
• Equipment financing
• Business expansion
• Tech financing
• Government-linked projects
• Infrastructure capital

Investors and lenders gain access to AI-organized, pre-screened deal flow, while investment agencies can showcase national investment programs to attract new foreign capital. What makes the achievement unprecedented is not only the technology — but the builder behind it.

Persaud, a Caribbean immigrant with no formal tech background, developed the entire platform herself using artificial intelligence, strategic automation, and unrelenting determination.

“This platform was built in silence – through long nights and hundreds of hours of work,” Persaud said. “It is a testament to what immigrants, women, and non-tech founders can create when given the tools and the opportunity.”

AI Capital Exchange has also been formally submitted to the India AI Global Impact Challenge 2026, signaling its potential as a global-impact innovation.

AI Capital Exchange is also inviting interest from strategic investors and capital partners seeking to support the platform’s early expansion.
Connect via the investor portal: https://www.investcaribbeannow.com/ai-capital-exchange/investors

About Felicia J. Persaud
Felicia J. Persaud is the founder of ICN Group, the parent company of Invest Caribbean, CaribPR Wire, Hard Beat Communications, and the News Americas News Network. A Guyana-born, US-based Caribbean immigrant journalist turned media and investment entrepreneur, Persaud is widely recognized for her pioneering contributions to Caribbean diaspora media, her advocacy for the creation of a U.S. Census category for Caribbean nationals, her longstanding immigration reform work, and her commitment to driving investment and economic empowerment across the Caribbean region.

Latin Americans desire flexibility and convenience in digital currencies and payments and are seeking more support from their financial institutions.

MIAMI, June 22, 2022 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The digital payments revolution that began during the pandemic is consolidating and driving Latin American interest in cryptocurrencies. 51% of consumers in the region have already made a transaction with cryptoassets and more than a third say they have made a payment for an everyday purchase with stablecoin, reveals Mastercard’s New Payments Index 2022, a survey conducted between March and April of this year among more than 35,000 people around the world.

The New Payments Index annually evaluates consumer behavior concerning emerging payment methods. In its second edition, the study shows that financial innovation -cryptocurrencies, DeFI solutions, blockchain, NFTs- registers significant activity in the region, with consumers eager to learn more about this ecosystem.

In Latin America, 54% percent of Latino consumers are optimistic about the performance of digital assets as an investment. Meanwhile, two-thirds of Latinos want greater flexibility to use crypto and traditional payment methods interchangeably in their day-to-day operations.

“More and more Latin Americans are showing interest in cryptocurrencies and want solutions that facilitate access to the crypto world. At Mastercard, we are designing these solutions to expand digital inclusion and strengthening alliances that guarantee operability and support”, said Walter Pimenta, executive vice president, Products and Engineering, Mastercard Latin America and the Caribbean.

The survey shows that consumers in Latin America and the Caribbean would feel more confident investing (69%) and making/receiving payments (67%) in cryptocurrencies if they were issued or backed by a trusted organization. Another 82% acknowledge that they would like to have cryptocurrency-related functions available directly from their current financial institution.

Digital payments, convenience and flexibility
Mastercard’s New Payments Index 2022 reveals that 86% of Latino consumers have used at least one emerging payment method in the past year. While 77% of Americans and 74% of Europeans prefer traditional payment methods to newer ones, Latinos are willing to use emerging methods such as biometrics, digital currencies and QR code, in addition to contactless payments.

“The future of payments is already here. Increasingly Latin Americans are turning to technology to conduct their financial transactions and this trend is expected to continue to rise, with an overwhelming 95% planning to use a digital payment method in the coming year and 29% acknowledging having used less cash in the past year”, added Pimenta.

Consumers in the region are familiar with fintechs and open banking, which allows them to conveniently manage their personal finances. Nearly 50% of Latin American consumers already use digital channels for financial activities and 78% of them are interested in flexible payment solutions that allow them, for example, to change the payment date of their bills, especially those with irregular incomes and millennials.

Biometric payments: security and convenience
When deciding which payment method to use, Latinos prioritize security (54%), but also look for the speed that financial technology offers. Biometrics is emerging as an option to find that balance between convenience and security. Three out of four Latinos say that “using biometric technologies for identity and payments is more secure than a PIN, password or another form of identification,” but concerns persist about which entities have access to their data.

People under 40 and millennials are more likely to perceive emerging digital solutions as secure. While they still use them, people who grew up in traditional banking are more wary, which is – for all players in the payments chain – an opportunity to build trust.

To learn more about this year’s New Payments Index, click here to Mastercard’s Newsroom.

About Mastercard (NYSE: MA)
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.
www.mastercard.com

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