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No One Should be ‘Scared to Live too Long’ – Innovating Insurance for the Elderly
After a chilling conversation with his family housekeeper about her fear of "living too long" and becoming a burden on her family, Tyron Fouche was inspired to start Nobuntu, an insurance plan for low-income South Africans. Combining an ancient risk-sharing design with modern tools like chatbots and biometric tech, the plan offers customers an income that actually increases as they get older. Fouche discusses Nobuntu's innovative model – and the big challenges it faces – in the latest post in NextBillion’s "Startup Showcase" series.
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- Finance, Social Enterprise
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Better Neighborhood, Better Life: What Research Shows About Investments in Equitable Development
Research shows that a child's neighborhood impacts professional outcomes and earnings, and that environment plays a role in exacerbating racial inequality. That's why JPMorgan Chase is working with lenders across the U.S. on a new approach to community development – one focused on neighborhood revitalization. Colleen Briggs discusses Partnerships for Raising Opportunity in Neighborhoods, a $125 million, five-year capital commitment to help communities fuel economic growth.
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- Finance, Impact Assessment
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Tackling Poverty Close to Home: Why Acumen is Boosting Financial Health in the U.S.
More than 40 million Americans live below the poverty line, and a majority live paycheck to paycheck. That's why, after nearly two decades and over $110 million of impact investments in Africa, Asia and Latin America, Acumen has expanded its focus to include the United States. Amon Anderson and Sarah Willis discuss how Acumen America, through its financial inclusion portfolio supported by MetLife Foundation, aims to build a future where low-income Americans enjoy stability, protection and prosperity.
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- Finance, Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology
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Sick of Fundraising? This Tool Makes it Easier for Social Entrepreneurs to Find Opportunities
Fundraising. Just about every social entrepreneur loathes it. The drudgery of seeking out the right partner, in the right sector, at just the right time is a key reason why. Sweta Govani details the Global Innovation Exchange, a new type of technology platform that's being launched this week to help social entrepreneurs cut down on the grunt work and fundraise more effectively.
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- Finance, Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology
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Is Mobile Money Killing Off the Group Microfinance Model (And Would That Be Such a Bad Thing)?
SAJIDA Foundation, an NGO and microfinance provider in Bangladesh, recently took the bold step of going cashless. But shifting to mobile money meant the end of group meetings – the locus of traditional microcredit for decades. The NGO was betting on clients embracing this new approach, but after the initial rollout, it noted some troubling downsides along with the expected benefits. Ashirul Amin of BFA explores the pros and cons SAJIDA has encountered in its cashless journey, and how it is responding with a hybrid method that blends old and new.
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- Finance, Impact Assessment
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Announcing the Most Influential NextBillion Posts of 2017
As we welcome 2018, we'd like to pay a final tribute to the top posts of 2017. In their own way, each of these insightful pieces introduced a novel concept, approach or argument that captured our readers' attention – and in some cases, provoked their ire. Here are the winners of 2017's Most Influential Post Contest.
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- Agriculture, Energy, Finance, Investing
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Beyond the Bubble: What’s Cool, Potentially Cool, And Clearly Not Cool About Bitcoin in Financial Inclusion?
Bitcoin owners are laughing all the way to the (virtual) bank: The cryptocurrency’s value has gone up over 2,000 percent in the past year. But along with concerns about a likely "market correction," this has raised some pressing questions about its value as a tool for financial inclusion. Ignacio Mas explores Bitcoin's potential on that front, offering four points to consider.
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- Finance, Investing, Technology
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The Clear Blue Water on the Other Side of the Digital Divide
Digital financial exclusion represents both a development challenge for poor customers, and a missed opportunity for providers, says MicroSave founder Graham Wright. While providers fight for a share of the most profitable and easiest-to-reach markets, they often overlook the vast commercial potential of lower-income communities – in territory that is largely not competed. Wright explores how to tap into this "fiercely loyal" market.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology