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Why Data Ownership is a Bridge Across Digital Divides
Emerging markets have traditionally experienced “data poverty” – data that is inaccessible, and poorly captured, controlled and distributed. But big data sources are now serving as proxies for all kinds of information – on everything from GDP and growth to demographics and poverty. This represents a big opportunity for emerging markets to leapfrog the technical limitations faced by developed economies, writes Gavin Heaton of the company Hu-manity.co. He sees a day when lower-income citizens have the opportunity to profit from their data, rather than being subjugated by it.
- Categories
- Technology
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Taking the ‘Green Leap’: How Linking BoP Business and Clean Tech Can Build an Inclusive Economy
In this era of environmental degradation and climate change, aiming to eradicate poverty before addressing the environment will simply not work. The challenge of our time, say Stuart Hart and Fernando Casado Cañeque, is to figure out how to commercialize new clean technologies, while extending the economic benefits to vulnerable communities – what they term a global “green leap.” They discuss this challenge in their new book, and share some key takeaways here. (NextBillion will be giving away a free chapter of the book in our e-newsletter, NextBillion Notes, all month.)
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
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The Financial Inclusion Gender Gap is Wide. Which FinTechs Are Working to Narrow It?
Significantly more women than men around the world lack access to digital finance – and in some countries, the gender gap is actually getting worse. According to Alina Kaiser at DFS Lab, that's why her organization is bringing a gender focus to their own work. It's also why they're recognizing and rewarding the efforts of other organizations to tackle this gap, by launching the Female-Focused Fintech Prize. Kaiser discusses the problem and some potential solutions, and invites interested fintechs to apply for the prize – applications are open until May 15.
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- Finance, Technology
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Are Rural Customers Ready to Consume More Energy at the Right Price? New Mini-Grid Research Offers Intriguing Results
Setting appropriate pricing is crucial to any business, but it's especially challenging for mini-grid developers serving rural customers in emerging countries. If the price is too high, customers can’t afford to buy enough power. If it's too low, mini-grids risk their commercial viability. Authors at CrossBoundary discuss a new report exploring the impact of massive price reductions on energy consumption and mini-grid revenues. The results are striking, and potentially significant for both providers and their customers.
- Categories
- Energy
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PAYGo Solar at a Crossroads: Why the Industry Must Choose Between Protecting Customers and Satisfying Investors
Over $500 million in investor financing has poured into off-grid solar in the past year. But while that's an exciting development for the sector, there is a downside. As BrightLife CEO Stefan Grundmann explains, PAYGo solar operators are facing heightened investor pressure to expand their reach and aggressively deliver greater sales. In response, many companies have taken new measures to boost business – some of which have led to troubling new risks for customers. Grundmann explores this issue, and how the industry and its investors should respond to it.
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Less Golf, More Gender Equity: A Q&A with Impact Investor Morgan Simon
From filing shareholder resolutions as a teen to founding multiple impact investing funds and penning a successful book, Morgan Simon has spent nearly two decades combining finance and social justice in diverse and innovative ways. NextBillion caught up with her to discuss her distinctive career – and how her role within the sector has been shaped by her gender – in this interview, part of our special series 'By Women, For Women.'
- Categories
- Investing
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Bringing the Tech Revolution to Health Care: New Report Provides First-Ever Snapshot of Global Digital Health Ecosystems
As the role of technology in health ecosystems grows, the global health sector needs a data-driven approach to measure and improve the status of digital health structures. That's the goal of the Global Digital Health Index (GDHI), an interactive digital resource that tracks, monitors and evaluates how health care providers use digital technology. Joanne Ke Edelman at the Global Development Incubator explores how data collected from 22 countries for GDHI’s inaugural “State of Digital Health” report provides the first-ever snapshot of digital health ecosystems throughout the world.
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- Health Care, Technology
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Can Superplatforms Transform Financial Inclusion in the Least Developed Countries? Emerging Insights from Nepal
Superplatforms like Google, Amazon, Facebook and Alibaba are at the forefront of technology in countries around the world. But can their model work down market? Using insights generated by homegrown superplatforms in Nepal, Keyzom Ngodup Massally and Audrey Misquith at UNCDF discuss their potential to build a new-generation financial sector in the least developed countries.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology