NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Siemens Stiftung has launched empowering people. Award 2019, calling on social entrepreneurs and developers from across the world to enter.

The award identifies and supports low-tech solutions that address crucial basic needs sectors in developing regions. This is the third round of the competition, launched online through videos and a widespread social media campaign.

Technologies entering the competition should be simple, feasible, embedded in a social business model, and deliver sustainable support to a local community in one of the following eight categories:

• Education & Training
• Energy
• Financial Technology
• Food & Agriculture
• Healthcare
• Mobility & Infrastructure
• Waste Management
• Water & Sanitation

Entries will be assessed by technology and business experts, and the top three winners will be selected by an experienced international jury panel.

The first prize is worth 50,000 Euros, with 30,000 and 20,000 Euros awarded to the second and third prize winners respectively. Seven runners-up will also be awarded 10,000 Euros each. A Special WASH Award of 20,000 Euros, supported by Knorr Bremse Global Care,and a Community Prize of 10,000 Euros, will also be awarded.

Winners gain from long-term membership of the empowering people. Network, a vibrant ecosystem of innovators, development professionals and technology experts. The Network promotes online and offline synergies, mentoring, training and technical cooperation. Winning solutions will also be endorsed by inclusion into the Network’s Solutions Database, putting them in the international spotlight to enhance the scope and impact of their technologies.

The award is supported by Siemens Stiftung’s longtime collaborators Engineering for Change, MIT D-Lab, and Technology Exchange Lab.

The competition is now live! Enter online by October 31, 2018, 24:00 CET.

The last two rounds of the award have been immensely popular across the global entrepreneur community, receiving 1,600 applications from more than 100 countries.

Further information can be found on www.empowering-people-network.org

In honor of our 10th anniversary, the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion (CFI) invites you to participate in a one-day symposium, Getting Inclusion Right, to be held at The National Press Club in Washington, DC on November 1, 2018.

Come join a select group of actors and influencers in the financial inclusion arena as we consider what we must get right if financial inclusion is to reach its full promise – access to a full suite of financial services delivered with quality to all who can use them to improve their lives.

We will convene a variety of distinguished thinkers and practitioners for a day of discussion and debate to help set the agenda for the next decade.

The ever-increasing interest in sustainable, responsible, and impact investing is music to our ears. The SRI Conference and Community welcomes those new to SRI with open arms, while we also gratefully acknowledge our long-standing supporters. Together, we are harnessing the power of capital to address our most pressing social, environmental, and cultural challenges while generating financial return.

The SRI Conference is an inclusive ecosystem of diverse stakeholders — including financial advisors, investment professionals, researchers, members of mission-driven organizations, and others — who share a common interest in sustainable, responsible, and impact investing.

No other SRI event offers these stakeholders the educational, skill-building, and networking opportunities afforded by The SRI Conference. That’s why so many of our attendees return year after year.

Continuing education credit may also be available for CFP, CFA, and CIMA designees.

Take a look on how companies and social enterprises have not only do businesses but also act as the forces for good by providing solutions, and creating opportunities for active collaborations across stakeholders of social innovation in Asia. ASIC is a two-day event that features discussions on Sustainable Living, Circular Economy, Sustainable Energy, and the emerging movement of B Corp by speakers from Indonesia and Asia.

The 15th Annual Social Entrepreneurship Conference will be held at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on Nov. 2-3, 2018.

We are looking forward to your contribution in presenting at this year’s conference dedicated to the ongoing development of theory and research on social entrepreneurship and its impact on global communities. The aim of our conference is to bring together scholars, researchers, students and practitioners from around the world to discuss emerging concepts and explore topics in social entrepreneurship, social enterprise, social innovation, sustainability and impact.

D-Prize funds new entrepreneurs who increase access to proven poverty interventions.

The world has already invented ways to end poverty, yet the best interventions are not being distributed at mass-scale. Can you design a business or NGO that solves one of the Distribution Challenges?

If selected we will award you up to $20,000 to launch a pilot in any region where extreme poverty exists.

Select a challenge and be prepared for the following deadlines:

• The Global Competition launches on September 4th, 2018.
• Early Submission Deadline: October 14th, 2018 at midnight PT (pacific time)
• Regular Submission Deadline: November 4th, 2018 at midnight PT (pacific time)
• Extension Deadline (limited to 400 people who register): November 25th, 2018 at midnight PT (pacific time)

Under the theme “Reaching the Informal: the Role of Finance in Improving the Growth and Productivity of SMEs,” the forum will explore how innovation in technology, regulation and partnerships can help overcome various informality problems, and open up a far larger market for profitable, sustainable, responsible financial services. Furthermore, the winners of the Global SME Finance Awards will be announced during the event! The deadline for submission of nominations for the awards is July 13, 2018.

The 14th IMC “Inclusive Insurance for Emerging Markets” will take place in Lusaka from 6 – 8 November 2018. Approximately 450 experts from around the world will discuss and identify ways of accelerating growth and economic viability in inclusive insurance for emerging markets. The conference will be hosted by the Microinsurance Technical Advisory Group of Zambia (TAG) and the Munich Re Foundation in cooperation with the MiN.

The insurance sector in emerging markets has enjoyed steady growth in client outreach and premium volumes over the last fifteen years. New technologies are boosting market coverage. In Asia alone, the number of people insured through mobile phones exceeds 40 million. Furthermore, the G7 countries have set a target of insuring 400 million people against climate risks by 2020. Nonetheless, many people are still without cover or alternative risk management options. The global middle class is predicted to number nearly five billion within two decades — but many of these individuals will still lack a formal safety net from insurance and will risk falling (back) into poverty.

The main focus of the 14th IMC will be how best to respond to this challenge by applying new technologies, understanding the role of insurance for sustainable development, improving supply, raising awareness of insurance, creating appropriate regulatory frameworks and better understanding of the particular needs of the low income population.

Representatives from insurance and reinsurance companies, distribution channels, technology providers, investment funds, international organisations, NGOs and development aid agencies, as well as academics, policy makers and supervisory regulators, from around 50 countries will attend the conference. Attendees will exchange views on current growth trends and risks in emerging markets and discuss key factors for successful implementation and maximised business opportunities to bring supply and demand to the next level.