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India’s Largest Mobile Wallet App Paytm Gets Regulatory Nod to Operate Its Own Payments Bank
India’s largest mobile wallet service now has its own payments bank. Paytm announced today it has received regulatory approval from the Reserve Bank of India for launching Paytm Payments Bank, a move that "changes everything" for the company.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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World Bank Invests in Myanmar’s Financial Inclusion, $100M in Credit
The World Bank established the Financial Sector Development Project to support Myanmar’s SMEs — the latest sign of progress in the country’s economy.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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Aavishkaar to raise $150 million fund for Africa investments
Impact investment firm Aavishkaar Venture Management Services (AVMS) plans to raise up to $150 million to invest in Africa, said a senior executive. “We are looking to raise between $100 million and $150 million for the African fund. We will start the fund-raising around the middle of 2017 and we expect to close it in 2018,” said Vineet Rai, founder of Intellecap-Aavishkaar group.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Announcing NextBillion’s Most Influential Posts of 2016
Congratulations to the three winners of NextBillion’s “Most Influential Post of 2016” contest. Each winner brought a unique mixture of topicality, engaging writing and thought-provoking analysis to their posts, which tackled some of the most important issues facing the social business world in the past year.
- Categories
- Health Care, Social Enterprise
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A Week at the Cutting Edge: Eight Insights into Emerging Market Fintech
This post by Jake Kendall and Stephen Deng, about innovators prototyping and testing new fintech ideas at the first DFS Lab Fintech Bootcamp in Dar es Salaam, was December's most popular. It's now in the running for Most Influential Post of 2016. Today's the last day to vote for it – or any of the other 11 entrants. The winner will be announced Wednesday.
- Categories
- Technology
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Microfinance Looks Toward the Future – But Will Fintech Revive the Controversies of Its Past?
James Militzer's wrap-up of European Microfinance Week says microfinance has lurched from development sector darling to punching bag over the years, but in the midst of this turmoil – and in reaction to it – practitioners at industry events have been diligently reimagining their sector. That take earned Militzer a spot in our Most Influential contest. You can participate by casting a vote ... but you've only got one more day.
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- Uncategorized
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Finnovista: 2017 Will Be the Year of Fintech for Inclusion in Latin America
Cofounded by Fermin Bueno and Andres Fontao who also cofounded Startupbootcamp FinTech LATAM, Finnovisita sees itself as an impact organization that accelerates fintech entrepreneurship in Spanish speaking countries, builds bridges between startups and financial institutions and facilitates the transformation of advanced financial services and the eradication of financial exclusion. The platform is on the cusp of celebrating its fourth year boosting fintech in Latin America and Spain.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Latin America
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10 Developments Shaping Smallholder Finance in Africa
This post tackles a tough question: How do we reduce the risk of agricultural activities so that financial institutions will provide loans to small farmers in developing countries? It proved to be the most popular article on NB in August, and thus earned a spot in our annual Most Influential Post contest. We're publishing a new entrant in the contest every day through Jan. 2 and we'll announce the winner Jan. 4.
- Categories
- Agriculture