-
Rwandan Fintech Startup Kayko Raises $1.2 Million Seed Funding Round
Rwandan fintech startup Kayko has raised US$1.2 million in seed funding for Kayko to support its mission of using data to unlock access to finance for small businesses across the country.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
IFC Study Shows Emerging Market Infrastructure Returns Beat S&P 500
Standard Bank boss Sim Tshabalala has led the chorus calling for relaxed regulations in financing infrastructure.
- Categories
- Finance, Investing, Technology
- Region
- Global
-
Announcing NextBillion’s Most Influential Articles of 2025: Vote for Your Favorites by Jan. 4
NextBillion’s “Most Influential Articles of the Year” contest has been an annual tradition since 2012. As we do each December, we’ve highlighted 12 of our most-read articles from the past year: You can find links to them in this article, or on the homepage below. We invite you to read them and vote for the ones that influenced your thinking the most. You can vote up to once per hour between today (Dec. 19) and 11:59 pm EST on Jan. 4. We thank you for your support and engagement over these past 20 years, and we wish you a happy and prosperous 2026.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Finance, Investing, Technology, Telecommunications, Transportation
-
African Development Bank Secures $11 Billion in Historic Fund
The African Development Bank’s concessional financing arm mobilised a record $11 billion from 43 Partners in its 17th (ADF-17), an amount the multilateral lender said signals confidence in the continent’s development prospects.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Analysis: South Asian SMEs Face Digital Turning Point as AI Adoption Accelerates
While artificial intelligence (AI) has already begun reshaping large corporations in the region, most SMEs remain trapped in traditional, low-efficiency business models that limit scalability and financial resilience.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
-
Press Release: Orange Money Group and Visa Announce a Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Online Payments in Africa
This partnership marks a new milestone in the shared ambition of the two companies: to provide millions of users with a simple, secure, and internationally recognized payment solution.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Building the Financial Services Stack of the Future: Why True Resilience Requires a More Holistic Approach
Over the last decade, financial inclusion has experienced unprecedented progress, as 79% of adults globally now have a financial account compared to 62% 10 years ago. But according to Payal Dalal at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, most financial inclusion initiatives are still organized around verticals like loans, savings and insurance, and delivered through separate providers and channels, which forces customers to piece them together into a comprehensive safety net or growth path. She argues that the financial services stack of the future must address this lack of integration, delivering solutions that meet multiple financial needs simultaneously — while responding to the growing headwinds that individuals and entrepreneurs face today.
- Categories
- Finance
-
British International Investment Achieves Over £300 Million in Green Energy Commitments Across South-East Asia
British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution (DFI) announced it has committed £308 million in climate finance across South-East Asia during its current strategy period, advancing its ambition to invest up to £500 million by 2026.
- Categories
- Environment, Finance
- Region
- South Asia
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter, "NextBillion Notes"
Published each Wednesday, our e-newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with a selection of news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage — and regular conference ticket giveaways.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.