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Sri Lanka Post Ushers Money Orders into the Digital Age with Sampath Bank
Sri Lanka joined hands with Sampath Bank to unveil e-Pay Mobile Cash, a revolutionary service that leverages the wide spread network of post offices, sub-post offices and Sampath Bank ATMs around the island to enable real time money transfers in a secure and convenient manner.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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Branch International Raises $70M Series B to Bring World-Class Financial Services to Emerging Markets
Branch International, a mobile “branchless bank” for emerging markets, announces a $70 million Series B investment to expand its financial offerings to additional countries. With over a million unique borrowers, Branch is already the top finance app in Africa. Branch offers credit today and plans to diversify into savings and payments in the future.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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Failure to Thrive: Nigeria’s Digital Financial Services Industry is Struggling – Can These Policy Solutions Help?
Nigeria leads all other emerging economies with 21 licensed mobile money operators. But high levels of unbanked and underbanked citizens have led to poor adoption rates for digital financial services. The Sustainable and Inclusive Digital Financial Services (SIDFS) initiative of the Lagos Business School has been studying ways to improve customer access and product development. In recently published research, Olayinka David-West and Ubukun Taiwo, both of LBS, reveal six policy recommendations for regulators that could help DFS to thrive in Nigeria.
- Categories
- Finance, Telecommunications
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Refugee charity turns to crypto with $1M donation from Ethereum’s founder and OmiseGo
The crypto industry is often criticized from the outline for creating wealth that exists only in digital form, is unstable and driven by greed. That’s why a new charity initiative from top figures inside the Ethereum community might make a few non-believers sit up for a moment.
- Categories
- Finance
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Vietnam May Soon Emerge As One Of Southeast Asia’s Blockchain Innovation Hubs
Looking at financial inclusion alone, only 31% of adults in Vietnam have bank accounts. But smartphone ownership is on the rise, with 40% of the population expected to own these devices by 2021, which means app-based, blockchain financial services could bring the underbanked into the fold.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Mobile money services make waves in Myanmar
Seven years ago, the country had virtually no formal banking sector. Now, its clunkier commercial lenders face extinction thanks to the arrival of exciting new mobile money services whose mission is to march onwards and upwards.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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Better Neighborhood, Better Life: What Research Shows About Investments in Equitable Development
Research shows that a child's neighborhood impacts professional outcomes and earnings, and that environment plays a role in exacerbating racial inequality. That's why JPMorgan Chase is working with lenders across the U.S. on a new approach to community development – one focused on neighborhood revitalization. Colleen Briggs discusses Partnerships for Raising Opportunity in Neighborhoods, a $125 million, five-year capital commitment to help communities fuel economic growth.
- Categories
- Finance, Impact Assessment
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New Financial Inclusion Initiative Aims to Reach 60 Million Nigerians with 500,000-agent Network
Known as the Shared Agent Network Expansion Facilities (SANEF), the initiative entails an aggressive roll out of 500,000 agent network to offer basic nancial services, such as Cash-in, Cash-out, funds transfer, bill payments, airtime purchase, government disbursements as well as remote enrolment on BMS Infrastructure (BVN) to an estimated 50 million Nigerians that are currently under-banked.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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