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Why Microfinance Should Embrace – Not Resist – A New Brand
We've launched our Most Influential Post of 2016 contest, and every day through Jan. 2 we'll publish another monthly winner included in the competition. This article, the most-viewed post on NextBillion for February, discusses the profound rebranding of microcredit over the past 25 years. There's also a list of the other best-read posts in 2016 and an opportunity to vote for your favorite.
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Social Business Gets Trumped: Is it Time for the Sector to Get Political?
Like most of us, Jonathan Lewis has strong opinions about the election of Donald Trump. In this podcast interview, the serial social entrepreneur and passionate advocate for the sector shares his frank views of the incoming administration, and why Trump's victory shows that social business has been "smug and remiss" in underplaying the impact of government. "The simple fact of the matter is: Government is scale," he says – so social business can no longer afford to be apolitical.
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- Social Enterprise
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Watch Video of the Live Debate: ‘Digital finance: Full inclusion or empty promise?’
This year's European Microfinance Week concluded with a heated debate on the impact of fintech in microfinance: "Digital finance: Full inclusion or empty promise?" NextBillion live-streamed the discussion, and you can view the recorded video in this post.
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Grameen Foundation and Freedom from Hunger Unite as One Global Organization
Grameen Foundation and Freedom from Hunger, two global leaders in the fight to end poverty, announced today that they are joining forces to form a single unified global organization. Under the banner of Grameen Foundation, the combined organization will be able to reach more people across the spectrum of poverty, while deepening the focus on the very poor, especially women, its leaders say.
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‘Not just for profit – but for survival’: CEO Amit Bouri discusses the GIIN’s bold call for all investors to tackle the SDGs
The Global Impact Investing Network launched an audacious campaign last month to mobilize investors behind the Sustainable Development Goals. Declaring that “this investment is not just for profit – but for survival,” GIIN CEO Amit Bouri asked that “every investor not already involved make at least one SDG-focused impact investment” – and called on them to start immediately. We spoke with Bouri about the challenges and opportunities that will arise if the investing community heeds the call.
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- Investing
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- impact investing, SDGs
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Weekly Roundup: A 1,030-Enterprise Survey, a Cuba/U.S. Collaboration, and a ‘Big Bet’ Primer
An expansive survey of social enterprises, a new health care collaboration between some old Cold War rivals, and an ambitious exploration of the challenges of "big bets" in philanthropy highlight this week's roundup of social business and global development news.
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- Agriculture, Education, Health Care, Social Enterprise
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What is Lost in a Digital Financial World — And How to Get it Back
As we work to extend financial services to the two billion financially excluded people around the world, we must rely on digital financial services. But vital as they are to financial inclusion, in the transformation to digital interfaces, valuable personal connections between financial service providers and customers are lost. Elisabeth Rhyne explores what exactly is lost, and how that loss can be mitigated or replaced.
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Financial Inclusion Week Starts Today – Here’s How You Can Participate
It's Financial Inclusion Week 2016 – a research and advocacy project that brings together nearly 40 organizations and stakeholders around the world to host events and share insights on advancing financial inclusion. This year, the conversations will focus on keeping clients first in a digital world, a theme which aims to bring clients to the forefront of the fintech discussion.
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