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Microsoft Launches AI Initiative to Empower African Startups
More than 2,400 AI startups in Africa are transforming industries and creating new job opportunities at a rapid pace.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance, Health Care, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Making Mini-Grids Work for Everyone: A Tariff Harmonization Pilot in Sierra Leone Reveals the Benefits and Challenges of Lowering Prices
Solar mini-grids offer a promising solution to energy poverty in Africa. But according to Tombo Banda and Lisa Kahuthu at CrossBoundary and Miriam Atuya, this approach has yet to gain sufficient traction, due in part to the challenge of balancing operational sustainability with affordability. If customer tariffs are set too low, operators lack revenue — but if prices are set too high, mini-grid electricity isn’t accessible enough to drive widespread adoption. They share the results of a pilot program in Sierra Leone that tested the impact of lower prices on mini-grid operators and their customers, highlighting the implications for future efforts to implement tariff reduction at scale.
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HSBC, World Bank’s IFC Launch $1 Billion Trade Finance Programme for Emerging Markets
Demand for trade finance far outpaces supply, especially in emerging markets, with the global trade finance gap last estimated at $2.5tn, according to a report from the Asian Development Bank.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Global
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BPR Bank, Denmark Launch $5.6 Million Credit Guarantee to Support MSMEs
This innovative scheme, the first of its kind by IFU in Africa, targets critical sectors.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Africa: M-Pesa Expands Payment Services to China Through Strategic Partnership with Thunes
Expected to launch in the coming months, this innovation addresses the challenges faced by travelers navigating China’s cashless economy.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Global
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CreditAccess Grameen Raises 25 Million Euros From German Investment Corporation DEG
Blended finance tools like co-financing bring together development finance and private sector investments, helping to mobilise funds for sustainable development.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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KPay Secures $55 Million in Series A Raise to Boost SME Support in Asia
The new funds will be strategically utilized to further penetrate KPay’s existing markets, particularly targeting SME merchants.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- fintech, innovation, MSMEs
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Subsidy and Synergy: How Philanthropy Can Complement Impact Investing More Effectively
The original goal of impact investing was to build out the funding spectrum between philanthropy and commercial investment. But according to Asad Mahmood at SIMA and Nanno Kleiterp, the arrival of private equity firms — promising scale and market-rate financial returns — has pulled all the sector's energy toward the commercial end of the spectrum. They explore the key role philanthropic subsidy has played in the development of emerging markets business, clarify some misconceptions about its role in impact investing, and propose some ways philanthropists and impact investors can better align their efforts.
- Categories
- Energy, Finance, Investing, Social Enterprise
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