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Going Local: Mobile financial service providers must consider local differences in access & usability, says Grameen Foundation
Mobile finance has received a lot of attention as a way to further financial inclusion. But the mobile phone is not yet accessible enough to reach significant portions of the unbanked, with poor women in particular being left behind. New research from Grameen Foundation explores large variations in mobile phone comfort levels and usage patterns among poor, rural women in India and the Philippines.
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The Other Driver of Financial Exclusion: Poverty alone isn’t keeping people unbanked, says Ignacio Mas
Much of the discussion in financial inclusion revolves around poverty. But in Part 6 of our Mobile Money Movers series, thought leader Ignacio Mas explains why poverty itself isn’t the biggest thing keeping the unbanked out of the formal financial system. Mercy Corps’ Kyla Yeoman interviews Mas in this fascinating and wide-ranging video Q&A.
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It’s Time for Inclusive Business to Move Beyond Pilots: We’ve shown that the concept can work – now it’s time to increase the impact
The concept of inclusive business has quickly transcended the stale model of corporate social responsibility. But in spite of some successful pilot programs, it hasn’t really affected the way major companies do business. If it’s going to have a real social impact, that has to change, argues Fernando Casado Cañeque.
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- Impact Assessment
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A Busy Week in Nairobi: A week full of events on the African social enterprise scene
Nairobi was the place to be on the African social enterprise scene last week. A wide range of meetings, conferences and workshops covered topics ranging from the role of government, to the risk of “early celebration-itis" for good but unproven early-stage ideas. The Overseas Development Institute’s Emily Darko describes some highlights.
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- Social Enterprise
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Scaling Mobile for Development: Strengthening the business case for social enterprises, including those delivering health care
The developing world is rapidly gaining access to mobile phones, but still lags in services key to development. This gap presents an opportunity for social entrepreneurs, impact investors, NGOs and mobile operators who would like to achieve positive social impact through commercially viable businesses.
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- Education, Health Care, Impact Assessment, Social Enterprise, Technology
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NexThought Monday – The Real 4Ps of Inclusive Business: Perseverance, pilots, partnerships and passion
We started last September – looking across the entire portfolio of businesses supported by the Business Innovation Facility since 2010. The more we looked, the stronger the common themes appeared. Most companies ended up innovating more than they expected, and in more parts of the value chain.
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- Education
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Weekly Roundup (2/14/14): The Kiva Debate
If you were reading NextBillion this week, you probably couldn’t help but notice - and perhaps get drawn into - a debate over Kiva. It started with Hugh Sinclair’s NexThought Monday post, and continued with Kiva’s response. Today, NextBillion’s editors explain why we published this controversial post, and why we believe the ensuing debate was worth having.
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The Power of National Targets in Financial Inclusion: The Alliance for Financial Inclusion discusses their potential and proper use
“National targets” are a familiar concept, and they’ve been used extensively by countries that rely on central planning for socio-economic development. However, many countries have misused the concept, misaligning their capacity and incentives. But Nimal Fernando argues that the process of setting national targets, if carried out right, can advance a country’s efforts toward financial inclusion.
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