-
With the 2030 SDGs Looming, the Public and Private Sectors Team Up for Global Health
Global health funding is no longer the sole purview of local governments and international donors. Despite large contributions (nearly $8 trillion in 2013) from traditional donors, there is still a critical funding gap of $2.5 trillion annually – in developing countries alone – to achieve the U.N.'s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Fortunately, public and private actors are teaming up to close that gap. Rachel Fowler of USAID discusses some intriguing examples, including a first-of-its-kind development impact bond aiming to reduce maternal and newborn deaths in Rajasthan, India.
- Categories
- Health Care, Investing
-
Egypt on the Precipice: Can Fintech Pave the Way for a More Inclusive Financial System?
Financial inclusion in Egypt has persistently lagged behind similar economies for decades. But the country now has all the hallmarks of a market ready to leapfrog: a young population, an enthusiastic embrace of social media, and more mobile subscriptions (110 million) than its population. Sarah Willis of MetLife Foundation and Mayada El-Zoghbi of CGAP lay out four criteria that Egypt must meet to bring meaningful financial services to its low-income communities.
- Categories
- Finance
-
On Pioneering Capital, Mentorship and Accelerators: It Turns Out You Can Do (A Lot) More With Less
Less than 3 percent of impact investment funds made their way to early-stage ventures in 2017. Sachi Shenoy and Nathan Byrd of Upaya Social Ventures believe the impact investing sector must do better. After several years of investing pioneer capital in social enterprises, they offer several solutions that take advantage of a "less is more" philosophy.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing, Social Enterprise
-
How Incorporating Behavioral Science into Cash Transfer Programs Is Changing Lives
More than $200 million in direct cash payments is distributed daily to fight poverty in over 120 developing countries. Evidence shows that the programs are working – but there is new pressure on them to enhance their effectiveness. Josh Martin and Laura Rawlings discuss how ideas42 and the World Bank, with funding from the Global Innovation Initiative, are leveraging behavioral science to help families make the most effective use of cash payments to achieve their goals.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
-
The Tortoise and the Hare: India and China Put Different Paths to Digital Finance to the Test
In 2016, some US$18 trillion changed hands via non-bank digital payment transactions in China – a value larger than its GDP. Meanwhile, though its population is roughly the same, India's digital finance industry has lagged far behind. But thanks to new digital infrastructure and evolving regulations, this situation is changing fast. Like the tortoise in Aesop’s fable, will India catch up with China, which has bounded ahead at hare-like speed? David Porteous at the Digital Frontiers Institute explores the two countries' approaches and their implications for other emerging markets.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
-
Sick of Fundraising? This Tool Makes it Easier for Social Entrepreneurs to Find Opportunities
Fundraising. Just about every social entrepreneur loathes it. The drudgery of seeking out the right partner, in the right sector, at just the right time is a key reason why. Sweta Govani details the Global Innovation Exchange, a new type of technology platform that's being launched this week to help social entrepreneurs cut down on the grunt work and fundraise more effectively.
- Categories
- Finance, Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology
-
Two Trends and a Caveat: The Three Factors That Will Define Impact Investing’s Future
New players in impact investing will benefit everyone across the value chain, from investors to end users, who focus on underserved populations to have impact at scale, writes Jean-Philippe de Schrevel, founder and managing partner at Bamboo Capital Partners. Meanwhile, technological innovation will continue to propel the industry. But he also cautions that big momentum means big expectations – on both investors and investees – to deliver on their promise to generate both financial and social returns.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
-
The Secret to Social Business Scale? An Overlooked Need in Moving Past the Startup Phase
How can social entrepreneurs move from the startup phase into the growth phase? Whatever the focus of their business, entrepreneurs have to build capacity to benefit and employ more people as they scale – and this requires a unique set of skills. Carola Schwank at Siemens Stiftung Foundation discusses the crucial but often overlooked need of organizational development in social business, and describes how the foundation is helping entrepreneurs address it.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
