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Indonesia issues world’s first blockchain sukuk
Indonesian Islamic microfinance cooperative BMT Bina Ummah has raised 710 million rupiah ($50,000) through the world's first primary sukuk issuance on a public blockchain and also the world's first micro sukuk.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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Financial Inclusion Week: Reflection and Action from Three Leading Voices
Today, the Center for Financial Inclusion is wrapping up Financial Inclusion Week. The intention for the week was to ask some soul-searching questions about what it means to be inclusive – and about how financial access in the age of fintech can impact the lives of millions, for good or ill. We caught up with three leading voices in the field, asking each of them three key questions focused on what financial inclusion means to them from a personal, organizational and international standpoint.
- Categories
- Finance, Impact Assessment, Investing, Technology
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Citi, OPIC and Ford Foundation Launch Scaling Enterprise, a $100MM Financing Partnership to Support Social Enterprises
Citi Inclusive Finance, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and the Ford Foundation today introduced Scaling Enterprise, a $100 million loan guarantee facility, which will enable Citi to provide early-stage financing in local currency to companies that expand access to products and services for low-income communities in emerging markets. The announcement was made at the 2019 SOCAP Conference.
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RSF-Purpose Initiative Responds to Demand for Mission-First Business Models
A grassroots global movement is emerging behind mission-first business models rooted in stakeholder governance—rather than shareholder control—and RSF Social Finance and the Purpose Foundation are collaborating to help that movement grow. Today they released a report that serves as a handbook for companies exploring alternative business structures and financing.
- Categories
- Environment, Finance, Investing, Technology
- Tags
- business development, ESG, research, scale
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Facebook, Visa among the stocks with high ESG marks — enough to outrun the S&P 500
Companies that improve their environmental, social and governance reputations outperform the S&P 500 — major technology and financial services firms among them.
- Categories
- Environment, Finance, Investing
- Tags
- ESG, sustainable business
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Kenyan telco Safaricom’s Alpha incubator faces uncertain future
Safaricom’s Nairobi-based Alpha innovation incubator may have an uncertain future, according to sources - TechCrunch reports.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- incubators
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The Highs and Lows of Creating the World’s First Social Stock Exchange
The budget proposal by India’s finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in July, to create an SSE in the country is a positive sign—a broader commitment to support inclusive growth.
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- impact investing
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Mastercard and Rabobank Roll out Financial Inclusion Platform for Farmers in Emerging Markets
Many smallholder farmers in these countries have limited access to market information, finance and management skills, leading to insecurity, inefficiencies and unsustainable business practices. Through the platform, farmers can connect with potential buyers, access mobile payment tools, and build a digital transaction record that can be used to access formal credit from a financial institution.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance
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