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COVID-19 Is Showing Small Businesses the Benefits of Digital Financial Services: Here Are Three Ways Providers Can Use Data to Better Serve Them
Digital access to financial services has been growing in recent years, but COVID-19 has made it all the more necessary. BancoSol, a commercial bank serving 1.5 million Bolivian microentrepreneurs, saw its digital transactions rising over the last year and wanted to extend this trend beyond the pandemic — but it wasn't sure how. Kathleen Yaworsky at Accion and Aaron Lewin at Mastercard discuss how their organizations are supporting BancoSol through data-driven insights, and share three steps microfinance institutions can take to better serve the needs of their micro and small business customers.
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- Coronavirus, Finance
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Elbow to Elbow: Convening Donors and Practitioners to Optimize Blended Finance for African Agriculture
Official development assistance isn't enough to bridge the SDG financing gap, or to unlock the growth and impact potential of African agricultural enterprises. Blended finance is often cited as a solution, but according to Brian Milder of Aceli Africa, it's falling short both in terms of impact and private capital mobilized. He explains the reasons for these limitations, and examines the perspectives of both donors and lenders to show how catalytic capital can be leveraged more effectively.
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- Agriculture, Investing
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Resolving Legal Disputes in Emerging Markets: What Social Entrepreneurs Should Know About International Arbitration
Though most social entrepreneurs would rather focus on growing their business than litigating a legal dispute, these issues can sometimes arise – especially when complex cross-border commerce is involved. Patrick Miller from P Miller Legal Services explains why international arbitration can be the best option in these situations. He explores the advantages of using this approach for dispute resolution, and discusses how it differs from standard business litigation – and why it can be particularly beneficial for social enterprises operating in emerging markets.
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- Social Enterprise
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Leveraging Tech During the Pandemic: How Apps Can Protect Lives in Developing Countries
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, vulnerable communities in many developing countries are dealing with a lack of accurate information about the virus – and facing the broader challenge of limited healthcare access. Bowen Khong at ForexToStock profiles some organizations that have responded to these challenges with innovative, healthcare-focused apps. He explores how these apps are fighting misinformation and connecting people in hard-hit communities to the care they need, and explains why impact investors should keep a close eye on these health tech solutions.
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- Coronavirus, Education, Health Care, Technology
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Climate-Positive Agriculture: How Investors Can Support Smallholder Farmers – While Also Regenerating the Environment
Global agricultural demand is expected to increase by about 50% from 2013 to 2050, as the world's population is projected to reach nearly 10 billion. Smallholder farmers in Africa and Latin America are well-positioned to meet this growing need – but expanding their current unsustainable farming practices could cause massive climate and environmental consequences. Bianca Samson, Flavia Howard and Kusi Hornberger at Dalberg share how investing in regenerative, climate-smart agriculture can boost food security and benefit smallholders, investors and the environment.
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- Agriculture, Environment, Investing
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Reimagining Agriculture in Kenya: Five Steps for Building Resilience and Food Security After a Catastrophic Year
Multiple crises in 2020 – from the COVID-19 pandemic to a desert locust upsurge and massive flash floods – served as a wake-up call about the fragility of Kenya's agricultural sector. And as Michael Omega, Daniel Kitwa and Racheal Wangari of Intellecap Africa explain, climate change makes future crises more likely, heightening the need for increased productivity and greater food security in the country. They explore five ways to reimagine Kenya’s agricultural value chain and food system, to build resilience and improve livelihoods for farmers and vulnerable communities.
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- Agriculture, Coronavirus
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The COVID-19 Effect: Why Latin America Needs a Workplace Wellness Revolution – and How Technology Can Enable It
Remote work is growing in Latin America, as it is around the globe, and the COVID-19 crisis has accelerated this shift. But as Greg Mitchell of Angel Ventures explains, working from home combined with the stressors of the pandemic is causing increased anxiety and burnout for workers. He shares how many companies in the region are adopting digital solutions to support employee mental health — from on-demand counseling and monitoring services to apps and chatbots — and discusses the market potential for this burgeoning solution.
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- Coronavirus, Health Care, Technology
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Women Are Paying More for M-Pesa: A Gender Analysis of Mobile Money Fees in Kenya
The cost of using financial services is a key barrier to their adoption and use in low- and middle-income countries — and when it comes to mobile money transactions via M-Pesa in Kenya, those costs are greater for women, according to a recent study. Bryan Pon at Caribou Data shares details about the study's findings, and explains how understanding these gender differences could illuminate some of the obstacles women face when using digital financial services – and help inform policy or system design approaches that could address these challenges.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology, Telecommunications