-
Accelerating the Shift to a Sustainable Future: How Entrepreneurs Can Solve the World’s Greatest Challenges
For the past 11 years, Agora Partnerships has supported the efforts of purpose-driven entrepreneurs to change their communities, their countries and the world. It has now aligned its work with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and its CEO, Ben Powell, discusses how those goals will affect its work.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
-
Weekly Roundup: Uruguay smokes ‘Big Tobacco’, Safaricom ups the ante, critic pens a (RED) herring
Uruguay wins a major legal battle against a huge tobacco company, Safaricom ups the ante in its battle with banks in Kenya, and our editors take issue with a provocative critique of a popular "social venture" in this Roundup of the week's social business developments.
- Categories
- Health Care, Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology
-
Three Growth Strategies to Boost Sri Lanka’s Microfinance Sector
Sri Lanka's microfinance industry is expected to reach maturity in the next few years, so market penetration growth strategies will shape the growth of successful players. But there is limited industry research on the country’s microfinance sector. Intellecap has attempted to bridge this gap by presenting the following market opportunities and growth strategies, based on conversations with leading practitioners, policy makers and capital providers.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
-
Beyond the Lending Club Scandal – Why Marketplace Lending is Still Needed in Emerging Markets
Renaud Laplanche, the CEO of industry pioneer Lending Club, resigned in May amidst rumours of fraud and malpractice. Since then, critics have been trying to write off marketplace lending as a flawed business model. But it's too early to discount the value of the entire industry – especially as it emerges in markets like India and China to address the critical needs of SMEs.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
-
Post-conflict Colombia: A Crucial Time to Re-evaluate the Role of Inclusive Business
After over 50 years of internal armed conflict between the national government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the country is starting to lay the foundations for a stable and lasting peace. The business sector has been called on to contribute to the post-conflict process, and inclusive businesses offer a clear way to do so. However, though Colombia's traditional approach to inclusive business has produced significant results for enterprises and communities, the impending post-conflict era demands a re-evaluation of how the sector operates.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
-
Beyond RCTs: How Rapid-Fire Testing Can Build Better Financial Products
Rapid-fire tests are nimble randomized controlled trials specifically aimed at improving product design. They are already common practice among technology-based companies as a way to iterate and rapidly improve their product and expand their user-base, but they can also be used to answer questions about the demand for financial products and improve other interventions that help the world’s poor. Innovations for Poverty Action explores what these trials can and cannot do.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
-
Storming the Walls – How Mozambique’s ‘Citadel Economy’ Shapes Financial Inclusion
In Mozambique, the combination of infrastructure deficit caused by colonial neglect and civil war, a centralist political economy, the sheer scale of poverty, and limited formal sector employment opportunities creates sharp income inequalities and shapes a "citadel economy," where high walls separate those inside and outside the enclave. This keeps financial service providers from reaching excluded target markets in the informal and agrarian economy. Christine Hougaard at Cenfri explores the problem and its potential solutions.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
-
Opportunity International and MyBucks: ‘A Powerful Partnership to Improve More Lives’
Opportunity International's sale of six microfinance banks to the fintech company MyBucks has sparked extensive analysis in recent days - along with some serious concerns. In this article, Opportunity CEO Vicki Escarra responds to the criticisms of the partnership leveled by former MFTransparency CEO Chuck Waterfield in his recent NextBillion post.
- Categories
- Uncategorized