Fintech apps to help you invest and budget better in emerging countries

Investing from emerging countries isn’t always easy. Baseline currency instability can make it seem impossible to grow a savings account or an investment portfolio. And in this economically tumultuous time, historic inflation has led to people all over the world facing losses and devalued savings accounts and investments. Cost of living has continued to rise, making it doubly difficult to put away money for your financial goals.

However, you don’t need much to start building your financial future. Though things may seem bleak now, saving or investing just a small amount each month can start to add up. Hopefully, as things stabilize, it’ll be easier to put away more savings at a time — but starting small is infinitely better than not starting at all. 

We wanted to highlight a few of the best fintech apps to help you budget each month and invest what’s left over. 

The best finance apps for investing and budgeting in emerging countries

This list is a combination of apps for budgeting and apps for investing, both of which are crucial to sustainable financial growth. By tracking your expenses and earnings, you can better understand how much you can invest and how quickly you can start to get close to your goals. 

You Need a Budget (YNAB) or Mint

It’s important to deeply understand your financial situation well before you start investing. It’s incredible how small transactions can add up, whether you shop primarily online, with credit or debit cards, or with cash. 

Taking a few minutes at the start of each month to figure out what you spent can help you get all the financial insights you need to end up with a little bit more left over at the end of the next month. 

What is a financial budgeting app and how does it work?

Budget apps like YNAB and Mint track all your transactions and help you categorize every expense, and account for every dollar you make. These apps can even tag some transactions automatically, like restaurants and entertainment purchases or online shopping. They can help you plan your spending for the following month in advance, or just take a retroactive approach and see what you spent previously. Whichever approach you choose, learning more about how your money comes in (and goes out) can help you lay a stronger foundation for saving. 

Check if the YNAB app or the Mint app can automatically import transactions from your bank in your country — it makes it so much easier to track. But even if they can’t, you can usually upload transactions to your budget app of choice, or enter them manually. 

Local banking apps 

If you’re not yet using your bank’s online banking app, get started. Banking apps are usually very simple, showing a list of transactions in and out of your account and letting you move money and pay bills. 

How do banking apps work?

Simply put, banking apps are the mobile version of online banking, which is the digital version of paper bank statements. They connect to your bank cards and show how you earn and spend money. Many banking apps integrate with budgeting apps, and you can connect them to verified financial partners to make investing easier. 

Stock market apps

For investors looking to build and follow a stock portfolio, you’ll want to use a stock tracking app. iPhones come with a simple one, the Apple Stocks app, but there are many to choose from. Search “[your country] + stocks app” to find and compare the options available to you.

Investing in single stocks can be risky, though — consider slower-growing, steadier options like money market funds or mutual funds for long-term investing.  

What is a stock market app and how does it work?

Stock apps let you watch the stocks you’ve invested in, so you can keep track as it goes up and down in value. This can help you make better investment decisions and can also help you vet stocks before you buy.

Cenoa

Cenoa is an excellent option for investors in emerging countries. Cenoa facilitates the buying of  digital dollars (also known as stablecoins) that are always on par with the U.S. dollar — and also provides excellent yield up to 5%, which helps anyone invest any amount of money in a stable and secure way. 

What is the Cenoa Super Wallet and how does it work?

Cenoa is a fintech super wallet that lets anyone grow their savings and build their financial future. Built on the blockchain, it’s an alternative to traditional banks, and lets users enjoy yields of up to 5%. 

And investing in digital dollars on par with the U.S. dollar helps investors in countries facing unstable currencies and devaluation build savings in a stable and secure way, especially since Cenoa guarantees yield. At minimum, you’ll always be able to get back what you’ve put in.   

Get to know your finances and start investing today

With a good budget and the right investment strategy, you can work towards a more financially stable tomorrow. Learn more about how Cenoa can help you get set up for financial success.