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Supporting the ‘Safe Journey’: How Mobile Tech is Making Migration More Secure and Less Costly
In Nepal’s rural areas, foreign employment in wealthy economies like Qatar, Saudi Arabia and South Korea can be a huge economic opportunity. But migrants to these countries are often exploited by employment brokers and others, who take advantage of the complexity of the migration process to charge high fees for job placements or loans. Benjamin Lokshin at the Asia Foundation discusses the foundation's innovative 'Shuvayatra' platform, which leverages mobile tools to help bridge the gaps between migrants and providers of important services.
- Categories
- Finance
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Press release: IFC and Mastercard Expand Partnership to Drive Greater Financial Inclusion in Emerging Markets
Electronic payments help underserved people and small businesses more fully participate in the formal economy. Yet, financial institutions in emerging markets often have difficulty covering their transaction settlement obligations, making it harder to rapidly scale financial services where they are needed most.
- Categories
- Finance
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PayPal Reaffirms Its Commitment To Financial Inclusion
“We firmly believe as a company that everyone should have access to affordable, convenient, secure and low-cost financial services,” Schulman said, noting this vision does not — as some have speculated in the past — speak to an overwhelming desire on PayPal’s part to become a bank or to try to replace bank-based services.
- Categories
- Finance
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Fintech Cos in India Are Turning Their Focus to Tier II and III Cities
Fintech companies are now ready to turn their attention to the Tier II and III cities, so as to penetrate deeper into the country. Being untapped markets, these cities bring a greater opportunity for the players.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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Fintech deals see record numbers in Q1 2018 – with emerging markets leading the way
Fintech funding in Asia saw the biggest gain of any continent, advancing 188% from $701 million in Q4 to $2.2 billion in Q1.
- Categories
- Finance
- Tags
- fintech, venture capital
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Mobile money increasing healthcare access
With access to healthcare remaining a major problem in Sub-Saharan Africa because of costs, the continent could benefit from using services such as mobile money and savings.
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- Finance, Health Care
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Is Universal Financial Access Still Possible?
The most recent Global Findex survey shows 515 million adults have opened bank accounts since 2014. While that's good progress, Daniel Monehin, who heads Financial Inclusion for Mastercard, points out that owning an account is just the first step towards financial inclusion - the real value comes with being able to use it in a safe and convenient way. That's why universal financial access must go hand-in-hand with efforts to drive usage, writes Monehin, who urges the sector to focus on people, products and partnerships.
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- Finance, Technology
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Block-chain based microfinancing for Kenyan food stall owners
IBM Research and Twiga Food will be extending access to microloans to 220 food stall retailers across Kenya using a block-chain based financing system.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- blockchain, fintech, microfinance
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