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Press Release: USD 127 Million Social Impact Securitization Vehicle for off-Grid Solar Sector in Kenya
BLK1 has increased the size of its local currency receivable financing facility for d.light’s Kenyan business to USD 127 million with an additional USD 15 million of senior debt from Norfund.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Black Businesses Matter: Leveling the Playing Field for Black Entrepreneurs in Africa and the Diaspora
For Black lives to matter, it is critical that we discuss more than just survival, but rather how to enable Blacks to thrive, says Charity Kabango at Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners. She argues that entrepreneurship is a key means to that end, as it empowers Black people to create jobs for themselves and others, and facilitates the flow of wealth within communities. However, limited access to finance and the absence of structured support has held back the development of entrepreneurship among Black people globally. She explores some solutions to this ongoing challenge.
- Categories
- Finance
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A Silver Lining During the Pandemic: Three Financial Inclusion Success Stories in the Age of COVID-19
COVID-19 has had a dramatic negative impact on businesses across practically all sectors. When it comes to financial inclusion, the pandemic has sparked concerns about a widening digital divide, rising gender inequality, growing skepticism over informal financial practices, and the risk of overlooking financially vulnerable customers. But as Anshul Saxena at MSC points out, the crisis has also generated some encouraging success stories. He highlights three businesses that have found ways to thrive during the pandemic.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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Malaysia’s Mobile Money, Bangladesh’s Bkash Team With Ripple on eWallet Remittances
Blockchain-based global payments provider Ripple announced it has entered into an arrangement under which Malaysian mobile wallet provider Mobile Money, and bKash, a provider of mobile financial services to more than 45 million people in Bangladesh, will conduct transactions through the RippleNet network.
- Categories
- Finance
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Analysis: How the Regulatory Framework for Crowdfunding Platforms in Southeast Asia Will Benefit SMEs and Investors
Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending has come a long way since its early days as a casual crowdfunding platform. Today, individual borrowers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can access loans without the hassle of going through banks and lengthy financial assessments.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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Grab Raises $300 Million for Fintech Arm’s Ambitious Expansion
Southeast Asian ride-hailing and food delivery giant Grab has raised more than $300 million from investors led by South Korea’s Hanwha Asset Management Co. Ltd for its rapidly-expanding financial services business.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech, startups
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Ensuring That Women’s Financial Access Is Not Another Casualty of COVID-19: The Value of Agent Banking
As COVID-19 continues to ravage global economies, the existing gender-poverty gap is set to widen: UN Women projects that for every 100 men aged 25-34 in extreme poverty due to the pandemic, 118 women of the same age will be living in extreme poverty this year. Peris Mburu at FSD Africa explores why agent banking is a promising solution to this growing challenge – and how its benefits can extend beyond access to finance.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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