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Viewpoint: The thing about impact investments
The thing about impact investments is the best of them look like regular investments.
- Categories
- Investing
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Super Platforms in Africa: Not if, but When
Imagine low-income, rural entrepreneurs throughout Africa actively leveraging super platforms like Facebook and Alibaba to conduct all their business interactions, from customer payments to orders from suppliers. This scenario isn't that far-fetched, says BFA's Yanina Seltzer. She explains why the march of the super platforms into Africa is inevitable – and what it will mean for financial services providers, regulators, and small and medium enterprises.
- Categories
- Finance, Investing, Technology
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Startup venture funding jumped more than 50% in Africa last year to a record high
Across sectors, financial inclusion accounted for 45% of total investment—more than any other sector—with $253 million raised. Partech’s report categorizes off-grid tech, fintech and insurance tech startups under financial inclusion.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- startups, venture capital
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Press release: Impact Investor Coalition Seeks to Bring Plant-Based and Clean Meat to China
A collaborative effort between Dao Ventures, Moonspire Social Ventures, and New Crop Capital, Dao Foods is introducing innovative and climate-friendly protein products, primarily plant-based and clean meat (PBCM), into the Chinese market.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Investing
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Japan Urged to Tap Dormant Bank Accounts to Promote ‘Impact Investment’
The concept of impact investment has gathered momentum globally, Cohen said, as cash-strapped governments look for money from the private sector to tackle issues such as child welfare and caring for the elderly in an ageing society.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Closing the Gap: Identifying Key Challenges for the Missing Middle SMEs in Francophone West Africa
Many small and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries fall into the “missing middle”: They're too big for microfinance and too small or risky for traditional finance. To better understand this sector and how to support it, the Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF) commissioned studies on the entrepreneurial ecosystems of Benin, Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Senegal and Togo. WDI's Ekta Jhaveri discusses the research with Julia Kho, knowledge manager at TripleJump, an investment management and advisory services firm that manages DGGF’s Investment Funds Local SMEs effort.
- Categories
- Investing
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India fintech seeking to raise at least US$87m to grow tech capabilities
AN Indian fintech company is seeking to raise over US$87 million of equity funding to expand its technological and analytics capabilities.
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- fintech, venture capital
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Why Impact Investing is the Next Big Move for Grameen America
David Gough of Grameen America says philanthropy will always be at the heart of the organization's funding, but the nonprofit saw impact investing as an untapped opportunity to fight gender inequity. In celebrating its 10-year anniversary of supporting female entrepreneurship and financial inclusion in the U.S., the group established its first Social Business Fund. The impact investing vehicle is allowing Grameen America supporters to directly invest in the success of more than 100,000 entrepreneurs and receive a financial return in exchange, writes Gough.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing, Social Enterprise
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