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The Network Effect: How Enterprise Support Organizations are Coming Together to Help Youth-Led Businesses Survive COVID-19
The economic fallout of COVID-19 has taken a devastating toll on micro, small and medium enterprises, and youth-led businesses are particularly vulnerable. But as Anita Tiessen at Youth Business International explains, the crisis also presents opportunities for these enterprises. She discusses some key ways to help young entrepreneurs emerge stronger from the pandemic.
- Categories
- Coronavirus
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What Corporations and Smallholder Farmers Have in Common: Addressing the Challenge of Land Rights in Emerging Markets
Lucia Maurício farms about 25 acres of land in Mozambique to feed her family. Portucel manages over 32,000 acres of eucalyptus farms nearby, to power its global supply chain. As Mary Hobbs at USAID points out, both require clear and documented land rights to achieve their goals. She explains why land rights are an essential part of reducing poverty among farmers and boosting investment for corporations in sub-Saharan Africa.
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- Agriculture
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Necessity Is the Mother of Disruption: How Indonesia’s Fintech Startups Can Survive the Do-Or-Die Situation of COVID-19
Indonesia is a silent giant in the startup ecosystem, with over 2,200 startups nationwide – many in the fintech sector. However, with the onset of COVID-19, this progress is at risk of dissipating. Anshul Saxena and Sheila Teta Carina at MicroSave Consulting recommend several measures that can help sustain fintech startups' momentum during the pandemic.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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Learning From Emerging Markets Entrepreneurs During COVID-19: What Lockdowns Teach Us About Resilience
How can entrepreneurs in emerging markets build their resilience to the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19? What tools enable them to adapt when everything around them has changed? Wendy Chamberlin at the BOMA Project and Larry Reed at Soul of Finance discuss ways to support – and learn from – African business owners during the pandemic.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Social Enterprise, Transportation
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Financing “Missing Middle” Enterprises in the Age of COVID-19: Leveraging Nontraditional Finance Pathways in Emerging Markets
COVID-19 has made access to capital for small and growing businesses in emerging markets more essential than ever. But according to Julia Kho at Triple Jump and Kusi Hornberger at Dalberg Advisors, these businesses have very different crisis-related financing needs. They explore how finance providers can understand these diverse needs and identify the best approaches to fill them.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Investing
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Giving and Receiving: Understanding the Financial Flows Between Young People and Their Parents
Young people in many emerging markets tend to live in their parents’ homes until their mid-20s, leading to a complex, dynamic interplay of financial support between generations that's particularly relevant during COVID-19. Guy Stuart at Microfinance Opportunities discusses the results of a study exploring the implications of this support for financial service providers and financial inclusion in Morocco, Nigeria and Senegal.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Tags
- COVID-19, financial inclusion, research, youth
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SME Investing With a Gender Lens: The Key To COVID-19 Recovery in Emerging Markets
It can be hard to think about recovery while much of the world remains in the eye of the COVID-19 storm. But according to Vanessa Erogbogbo at the International Trade Centre and Ayesha Khanna at CARE Enterprises Inc., we must begin to envision a world on the other side of the pandemic – and that process must involve investment in small businesses that create positive economic impact for women.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Investing
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The Game-Changing Potential of a Regulatory Sandbox: Why Creating a Safe Space for Digital Innovation Is a Necessity for Financial Inclusion in Bangladesh
While Bangladesh has made notable progress in accelerating financial inclusion, around 50% of Bangladeshis still remain unbanked. As Jakirul Islam at Bank Asia points out, this highlights a need for more technological disruption – and more regulatory innovation. He explores the potential of a “regulatory sandbox” approach, in which the government provides a safe harbor for businesses to test inventive new products, services and business models.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology