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Fintech startups took nearly a third of all African venture funding in 2017
While fintech is seen as disrupting the traditional financial sector in more advanced economies, in Africa it is bridging gaps that have not been addressed by the banking industry to begin with. Between 2015 and 2017, African fintech startups including names like Flutterwave and Paystack jointly raised more than $100 million.
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- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Why an Activist Hedge Fund Cares Whether Apple’s Devices Are Bad for Kids
The truth is that the worlds of activism and impact investing are converging much more swiftly than most people realize — and this union holds enormous promise for those who wish to see the creation of capital markets that support sustainable economic development.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- North America
- Tags
- impact investing
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Solar + Housing = Impact: Why Investors Should Boost Renewable Energy in Affordable Housing
When it comes to off-grid solar energy, we tend to think of market extremes such as rural poor people in developing countries without any electricity or well-off people in developed countries looking to charge up their Teslas. But Lori Chatman of Enterprise Community Loan Fund and Ismael Guerrero of the Denver Housing Authority detail a project to bring green power to public housing residents in the Mile High City. The project could serve as a model for impact investors looking to improve health, expand green jobs and earn a return.
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Fields of Gold? Jana seeks new money, allies with impact hedge fund
Wall Street investor Barry Rosenstein’s new impact investing fund aimed at serving environmental and social causes could, if he plays his cards right, enhance his traditional business of pushing companies to boost earnings.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- North America
- Tags
- impact investing
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Press release: Largest Non-Governmental Climate Insurance Program Launches for African & Asian Smallholder Farmers
Over 690,000 families totalling up to four million people living in six low-income countries stand to benefit from a new climate insurance programme launched today by VisionFund International, World Vision’s microfinance arm and Global Parametrics, a new venture funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and by the InsuResilience Investment Fund, set up by German development bank KfW and managed by Swiss-based impact investment manager BlueOrchard Finance. Financing for the initial preparation and assessment required to implement the programme came from the Rockefeller Foundation and FMO, the Dutch development bank.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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On Philanthropy: 6 ways the world of giving could change in 2018
When it comes to the world of philanthropy, 2018 promises to be transformational. Pessimists are concerned about the impact of new federal tax laws, the increase in income inequality and the growing need for critical social services. Optimists see more reason for hope, believing that we have entered the “golden age of giving.”
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- Investing
- Region
- North America
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U.S. ‘socially screened’ funds draw second-biggest inflows ever
The industry remains relatively small, with an estimated $2.6 trillion in funds that screen investments based on companies’ social and environmental impact, compared with $16.3 trillion in all funds, according to the Investment Company Institute trade group.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- North America
- Tags
- impact investing
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Opinion: Larry Fink Talks the Talk But Neglects the Walk
It's not clear Fink has done much to back up that 2014 letter. The biggest buyer of its own stock is Apple Inc., which is on track to spend about $235 billion since 2012. The second-biggest investor in Apple, behind Vanguard, is BlackRock, which through its funds holds just more than 6 percent of the iPhone maker's stock. Fink seems to be in a good position, better than pretty much anyone else, to tell Apple to quit, or at least limit the buybacks. And yet there is no record he has. And Apple certainly hasn't curbed its stock buybacks.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- North America