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Maisha Becomes First Microfinance Bank in Kenya to Offer Mobile Loans
Maisha MFB becomes the first telco-backed microfinance to launch a savings and mobile money solution in the market and the fourth financial institution, alongside banks like Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA), Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) and Equity.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- fintech, lending, microfinance
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European Microfinance Week 2017: Revealing New Frontiers in Inclusive Finance – Nov. 29-Dec. 1
European Microfinance Week (EMW), Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 2017, and hosted by e-MFP, is one of the top events in the microfinance calendar and a unique meeting point for all professionals working in the inclusive finance sector worldwide. With an unparalleled program and prestigious speakers, the event is widely recognised for its high-quality sessions and excellent networking opportunities. Last year's event attracted close to 500 participants from 58 countries.
- Categories
- Finance, Social Enterprise
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New Case Study Details How to Deploy Successful Agency Banking in Africa
Agency banking utilizes a network of local merchants and shopkeepers, in areas where FINCA usually doesn’t have a presence, to provide basic banking services. The agents are equipped with POS (Point of Sale) machines, a portable device that securely connects to FINCA bank accounts through biometric fingerprints.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Why Google Launched Tez Instead of Android Pay in India
It's certainly logical for Google to launch a mobile wallet for India's 300 million smartphone users. But it also might seem odd to introduce Tez instead of Android Pay, which already has footholds in Asia in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- digital payments
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On ‘World Food Day’: Using Fintech to Support Smallholder Farmers and Feed the World
More smallholder farmers are using digital tools to access funds to improve their farms. But with a whopping US $200 billion gap in financing, many cannot access the financing they need to invest in things like seeds, fertilizers and irrigation technologies to increase production and improve their livelihoods. Mikael L. Clason Höök and Malia Bachesta of the RAF Learning Lab highlight several innovative fintech companies that are addressing barriers faced by smallholder farmers.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance, Technology
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Social media giant Tencent gets into old-school finance
CICC, once dubbed the Goldman Sachs of China after it brought some of the country’s largest state-run firms to market, has been reducing its dependence on volatile investment banking fees and expanding its business catering to rich individuals. It completed a $2.5 billion purchase of China Investment Securities Co this year, plunging into the retail investor market.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- fintech
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Telcoin wants to bring cryptocoins to the ‘unbanked’
There were more than 900 cryptocurrencies floating around the planet midway through the year, with a jumble of serious and weird names (InsaneCoin. Cabbage. VGINA). And now here’s another one: Telcoin.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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GSMA launches industry guidelines on international remittances through mobile money
Because of its reach and growing use among underserved people, mobile money is uniquely positioned to transform formal remittance markets and to advance financial inclusion.
- Categories
- Finance
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