Online payments firm Stripe has unveiled that it will provide a range of services to Cuban entrepreneurs.
As part of the company’s new Atlas program, the services will allow Cuban entrepreneurs to incorporate US business entity, establish US bank accounts, and use Stripe to start accepting payments from customers across the world.
Stripe Atlas is a new product designed to give global entrepreneurs access to the basic building blocks for commencing a worldwide internet business.
It gives entrepreneurs a chance to access the business and banking infrastructure of a worldwide business hub.
Stripe is working with Havana-based Merchise Startup Circle to help find and support Cuban entrepreneurs for whom Atlas can be useful.
Stripe Atlas will charge Cubans $500 to sign up for the service.
Stripe CEO Patrick Collison said: "The promise of the internet is that geography should be largely irrelevant. But that is not yet true.
"Especially here in Cuba, people simply do not have access to the high-quality banking or payments infrastructure they need to join the internet economy."
Merchants in 24 countries can currently use Stripe to accept payments in more than 130 currencies, as well as Apple Pay, Android Pay, Alipay and Bitcoin.
Stripe has so far received about $300m in funding from investors such as Sequoia Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Visa, American Express, and PayPal founders Peter Thiel, Max Levchin, and Elon Musk.
Image: The services will allow Cuban entrepreneurs to use Stripe to start accepting payments from customers across the world. Photo: courtesy of adamr/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.