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Seen and Heard at SOCAP14, Day 1
“The brain is just about the same ... (but) the heart seems to be a lot bigger in social entrepreneurs,” said William Draper, famed Silicon Valley venture capitalist turned venture philanthropist. His comments helped kick off SOCAP14.
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- Social Enterprise
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‘The Next Frontier of Financial Services’ (Part 1): Jeremy Leach, director at Bankable Frontier Associates, discusses microinsurance’s potential and challenges
Insurers have traditionally steered clear of the base of the pyramid, for a variety of reasons. But that’s changing, says Jeremy Leach of Bankable Frontier Associates, who sees insurance as the "next frontier of financial services." We discuss the state of the sector, and the challenges and opportunities it faces in serving the BoP, in part one of this Q&A.
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- Technology
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When It Comes to Cash Transfers, the Medium Matters: The pros and cons of delivering aid via cash, voucher or digital payment in two African programs
Mobile payments have some clear advantages over cash in the developing world, but they are not without limitations. Existing research points to lack of trust, inadequate marketing efforts and inhospitable regulatory frameworks as some of the key factors that limit the adoption of mobile financial services.
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- Technology
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NexThought Tuesday – Debt is Good: Especially when it helps sustainably fund public health budgets in low-income countries
A new entity, the health bond, is a way to leverage the mountains of African sovereign debt coming to market over the foreseeable future, potentially raising additional funding to support public health.
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- Health Care
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Weekly Roundup 8/29/14 – Getting In While the Getting’s Good: Why the Bain Capital, TOMS deal could be the first of many
Going into the Social Capital Markets Conference (SOCAP14) next week, Bain Capital’s 50 percent purchase of TOMS Shoes for a reported $300 plus million was reverberating throughout social media. Most of the reactions in the impact investing community were positive, although many continued to question buy-one, give-one, model.
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- Uncategorized
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‘Cash Burns Your Pocket’: New World Bank, Gates report finds mobile payments vital to G20 goals
Just 41 percent of adults in developing economies have a bank account - a problem that G20 nations are increasingly focused on. To that end, this week the Gates Foundation, the Better than Cash Alliance and the World Bank released a report on the potential of digital payments to advance financial inclusion - and the challenges that must be addressed.
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- Uncategorized
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Perspective: How women across Latin America are building a culture of entrepreneurship
Attitudes toward women entrepreneurs in Latin America are slowly but surely changing, mostly due to the efforts of women who are forging ahead with their enterprises and establishing new network support groups. In working with multiple partners across Santiago, Maxwell Kangkolo, co-founder of The Go Project, offers a perspective on women carving out a chasm through a male hierarchical culture.
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- Uncategorized
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How to Prevent the Next Health Crisis: Without vaccines, we’re vulnerable not just to Ebola, but a variety of other deadly diseases
More than 20 million kids weren’t vaccinated last year. How do we fix that problem? Dr. Utibe Effiong says we can start by engaging with more religious leaders to encourage vaccination. More importantly, we must invest in job creation to bring families out of poverty. When a family is hungry, vaccination is their last priority.
- Categories
- Health Care
