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Rising Star or Red Flag?: South Africa’s financial inclusion growth raises questions for the entire industry
South Africa placed second in a recent Brookings Institute study comparing financial inclusion in 21 developing countries – surpassed only by Kenya. But though this has led to celebration in some quarters, there’s a troubling aspect to these findings. Illana Melzer argues that the risks of burgeoning financial access and usage are too significant for beneficiaries, development organizations and donors to ignore.
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment
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Different Worlds: Why digital payments should not be regulated as an offshoot of banking
Digital payments is emerging as its own field of expertise - and though the two sectors are often lumped together, it differs substantially from banking. For instance, banks prosper greatly from managing risk and little from network effects, while payments providers typically are just the opposite. This leads to fundamentally different outlooks between the practitioners in each field, and necessitates different regulatory approaches.
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- Uncategorized
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NexThought: From Soap to Cassava – Mentoring Makes the Difference
Cynthia Ndubuisi Mene’s biodegradable liquid soap business, Ever Glow, enjoyed early success in her home country of Nigeria. But as she looked to expand, she sought the guidance of a mentor and found one through the MicroMentor.org network. Her relationship with a former UPS president has not only helped her scale EverGlow, but has led to new business opportunities.
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- Uncategorized
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A Short Holiday for the NB Team:
So that NextBillion's editorial team can enjoy the Labor Day holiday here in the United States, we are taking a little break. NextBillion will resume publication on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
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- Uncategorized
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Taking Financial Inclusion Data to the Next Level: National data is useful – but it’s not enough
The era of “big data” has fully arrived in the financial inclusion industry. But while existing data platforms are beginning to fill the gaps in national measures of inclusion, this information may not reflect the situation on the ground. That's why the next iteration of financial inclusion data needs to drill down to the subnational level to increase clarity around financial service access, usage and quality.
- Categories
- Education
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Technology Meets the ‘Loo’: Women-led business utilizes bio-toilets to overcome infrastructure challenges
Namita Banka, a former jewelry designer, took a course in social entreprepreneurship in 2009 and emerged ready to make a difference in her community. A few years later, she incorporated Banka BioLoo to produce environmentally friendly bio-toilets. Here, Sanjay Banka, Namita's husband, talks about the business and the cultural obstacles it's working to overcome.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Health Care, Technology
- Tags
- public health
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A New Wave of Capacity Building: Enabling private investment in the university education of students in developing countries
Human capital is a nation’s most critical capacity, yet many students in developing countries can't afford a higher education. And neither scholarships and financial aid nor bank loans are sufficient to meet the level of need. Brighter Investment enables private investors to fund the university education of students in the developing world, in exchange for a fixed percentage of their future income - its co-founder discusses their unique model.
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment
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Serving the 57 Percent: That’s the percentage of American adults who are struggling financially – CFSI research illuminates their needs
At first, the headline number may seem hard to believe: 57 percent of American adults are struggling financially. But that's what the Center for Financial Services Innovation found in its recent Consumer Financial Health Study. We spoke with Aliza Gutman, the CFSI director who has led the study, about the challenges facing this group - and the opportunities in serving them.
- Categories
- Education
