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WhatsApp in Talks to Launch Mobile Payments in Indonesia
Indonesia could become the second country worldwide where WhatsApp introduces such services, as it awaits regulatory approval from India, its biggest market by users, that has been delayed due to local data storage rules.
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- Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Empowering Female Entrepreneurs: Solutions to Five Key Barriers to Women’s Financial Inclusion
In developing countries, only 59% of women have a bank account – an issue VisionFund is addressing through its Women’s Empowerment Fund. But though the fund has supported thousands of female-led businesses, it has also faced persistent challenges – many of which are unique to women. Johanna Ryan, VisionFund's Global Director of Impact, discusses five obstacles the fund has encountered, and how they've responded.
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Fintech Deals in Indian Startups Surpass China Despite a Lending Slowdown
China saw deals drop to five-quarter low of 15 deals, down 81% from Q2 of calendar year 2018. However, broader deal-making across the globe has been relatively flat this year.
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- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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Asian Development Bank Approves $25M Loan to Support Women-Led SMEs
Access to finance is very limited in Pakistan, with only 21.3% of adults and only 7% of women over the age of 15 having bank accounts in fiscal year 2017, according to available data.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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China’s Proposed Digital Currency Will Help Banks Bridge Gap on Mobile Payment, Curb Dominance of Alipay, Wechat
Banks’ participation in the central bank’s digital currency will help them better compete with third party payment network operators.
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- Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Microfinance Is Driving Many Sri Lankan Borrowers to Despair
Nalani Wickremesinghe, from Baduraliya in the south, has taken loans from 11 companies, only two of which are registered with the central bank. Struggling to feed her family, she has little option but to borrow again.
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- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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Survey: Cash Payment Still ‘King’ in Kenya, Despite Digital Money Growth
According to the report, just under half of domestic remittances and 30 per cent of bill payments are now made via mobile money.
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- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Viewpoint: For Facebook’s Cryptocurrency, the Well May Already Be Poisoned
Facebook's new Libra coin is asset-backed and runs on a restricted network, which could make it as stable as a major currency — setting it apart from other, much more volatile cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
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- Finance