Articles by James Militzer
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Interviews
Tuesday
November 19
2013The Power of Choices: Applying behavioral economics to financial services – part 1 of our interview with Alexandra Fiorillo, VP at ideas42
If you’re working to alleviate poverty, steering people toward wise financial choices can make a huge difference. That’s why we’re excited to introduce ideas42, a consulting organization that specializes in behavioral economics, as a content partner on NextBillion Financial Innovation. We spoke with their VP Alexandra Fiorillo about how behavioral economics can be used to promote financial inclusion and improve lives at the BoP.
- Categories
- Finance
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Interviews
Thursday
November 14
2013Beyond Competition: An interview with Grameen Foundation’s Steve Wright
From a traditional business perspective, social enterprise seems to be built upon a contradiction. How can you run a company whose ultimate goal is to foster and empower competitors rather than defeat them? That’s one of the topics discussed by Steve Wright, vice president of Grameen Foundation’s Poverty Tools & Insights division, in this BoP Summit 2013 interview.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Social Enterprise
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Saturday
November 9
2013Weekly Roundup – 11-9-13 – For Sale: Your Future: Should young people sell shares of their future earnings to investors?
Upstart is a crowdfunding company geared toward young people in the U.S. who are struggling with the cost of college education. It’s one of several new companies that allow investors to fund students’ careers, in exchange for a percentage of their future earnings. Is this a welcome innovation meeting a growing demand, or is it exploitation of the heavily indebted youth? We explore the topic in this Weekly Roundup.
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- Uncategorized
- Tags
- crowdfunding
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Wednesday
November 6
2013A Farewell to Cash?: The move toward a cashless world – and what it could mean for the BoP
In a digital world, why do we remain so attached to old-fashioned bits of metal and paper? David Wolman tackles the question in his book, “The End of Money," which illuminates the forces that could be driving us toward a cashless future. He spoke with NextBillion Financial Innovation about what a cashless world might look like - and what it could mean for the poor.
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- Uncategorized
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Thursday
October 24
2013How Smart Policy Can Promote Financial Inclusion: A Q&A with Alfred Hannig, founder and executive director of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion
It can be hard to even keep up with the innovations that are reshaping global finance. Imagine how hard it is to regulate them. In this Q&A, Alfred Hannig, founder and executive director of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion, discusses the challenges of balancing innovation and consumer protection in a shifting financial landscape.
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- Uncategorized
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Saturday
October 19
2013Weekly Roundup – 10/19/13: Will the FI2020 movement do for financial exclusion what the MDGs have done for poverty and disease?
Since 2000, the Millennium Development Goals have focused the world’s attention on alleviating poverty, hunger and disease, mobilizing massive human and financial capital and bringing undeniable results. The takeaway: solving big problems requires a sense of purpose, specific goals – and a clear timeframe. In a few weeks, the FI2020 movement will put that formula to the test to solve the global problem of financial exclusion.
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- Uncategorized
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Tuesday
October 15
2013Google Hangout with Antony Bugg-Levine: Watch the replay of our conversation with an impact investing pioneer
NextBillion Financial Innovation’s first Google Hangout took place on Oct. 15, and we hosted an outstanding guest: Antony Bugg-Levine, CEO of the Nonprofit Finance Fund and a true pioneer in impact investing. Check out our videotaped Q&A in this post.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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Tuesday
October 1
2013The Future of Impact Investing: A conversation with Sasha Dichter, Acumen’s Chief Innovation Officer
Sasha Dichter is the Chief Innovation Officer at Acumen, a noted speaker and blogger - and a panelist at the William Davidson Institute’s upcoming BoP Summit on Oct. 21-23. He spoke with NextBillion Financial Innovation recently about Acumen’s approach to impact investing, growth and challenges in the sector, and the need for more risk taking and innovation.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
- Tags
- impact investing