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Stripe Acquires Nigeria’s Paystack for $200 Million+ To Expand Into the African Continent
Stripe is acquiring Paystack, a startup out of Lagos, Nigeria that, like Stripe, provides a quick way to integrate payments services into an online or offline transaction by way of an API. (We and others have referred to it in the past as “the Stripe of Africa.”)
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech, startups
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From Financial Inclusion To Inclusive Finance: The Power of Frameworks To Catalyse Change
In this age of information, we increasingly rely on data to inform our decisions. But as Amrik Heyer at FSD Kenya points out, the utility of data for guiding policy and investment depends on the paradigms and frameworks which influence our thinking. She discusses the power of frameworks in shaping research and informing financial inclusion policy and investment, using the example of the FinAccess survey in Kenya.
- Categories
- Finance, Investing, Technology
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Cash’s Lockdown Hurts Financial Inclusion
Since the start of the pandemic, businesses around the world have drastically changed their operations to protect employees and customers. One significant pivot is discouraging the use of cash in favor of digital and contactless payment methods.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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Press Release: Uganda Posts Growth in Mobile Money Accounts During Pandemic, Mobile Subscribers Shrink
The growth to 25.9 million accounts was, however, smaller than what had been seen in the first quarter.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Viewpoint: Zimbabwe’s Restrictions on Mobile Money Transfers Are a Blow To Financial Inclusion
Mobile financial services are, in most African countries, born out of crises.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: UNDP, UNCDF, Switzerland and Kenya Launch a New Initiative To Govern BigFintech for Greater Good
Geneva, 9 October 2020 - Regulators, UN agencies, market actors and officials from 10 countries will gather virtually on October 9th to launch the Dialogue on Global Digital Finance Governance, implementing one of the key recommendations of the UNSG Digital Finance Task Force, to catalyse international and corporate governance innovations to ensure BigFintechs benefit all.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Enabling Ecosystems: How To Boost Fintech Innovation and Financial Inclusion During and After COVID-19
Lockdowns in response to COVID-19 have rapidly accelerated digitalization worldwide, particularly in finance. But as analysts from the University of New South Wales, the University of Luxembourg, the University of Hong Kong and GIZ point out, ensuring the safe and inclusive development of digital finance is a major challenge. They explore why an ecosystem-based strategy could be the answer.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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Big Tech’s Emerging Market Finance Push Brings Rewards and Risk, FSB Says
A push by big technology firms into financial services in developing countries will improve access to them, but might also make traditional lenders more vulnerable, the Financial Stability Board (FSB) said.
- Categories
- Finance, Investing, Technology
- Tags
- impact investing