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AI Can Do a Lot for Financial Services Penetration in the Hinterlands in India
The departure from a ‘brick-and-mortar’ structure to branchless banking (agent & mobile) can be attributed to ICT adoption by users. This has led to a structural and technical reform in the financial services landscape in the last decade.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Meet the Zayed Sustainability Prize Finalists
This year, finalists include start-ups which have developed technologies to combat plastic waste and the spread of disease, as well as improving access to clean electricity.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Health Care, Technology
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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Viewpoint: How Emerging Markets Will Be Disrupted by Tech
Candidate disruptive technologies include automation, artificial intelligence, aeroponics, block chain, batteries, clean energy, drones, stem cells, 3-D printing and virtual reality. The repercussions should these technologies gain traction are far from straightforward for emerging and frontier markets.
- Categories
- Technology
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Employment, Entrepreneurship and Data: Announcing NextBillion’s 2020 Special Series
NextBillion is pleased to announce the topics of our 2020 special series. These three year-long series will cover innovations and challenges in employment, the "untold stories" of social entrepreneurs, and the risks and opportunities of Big Data. Each will be managed by a different member of our editorial team. Check out the descriptions here, and email the appropriate editor if you’d like to discuss a potential guest article. We’re looking forward to following the discussion!
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, NextBillion Originals, Technology
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12 Biggest African Tech Funding Deals In 2019
In 2019, Nigerian and Kenyan fintech and logistics firms secured major funding deals while an Egyptian startup attracted $42 million — the largest round of funding for a tech startup in Egypt to date.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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‘Are We There Yet?’: How to Deal with Delays – And Other Challenges – In Acquiring Financial Transaction Data
“Are we there yet?” It’s a familiar refrain to any parent who has taken a child on a long journey – and it's also a common dilemma for programs that promote data-driven decision-making in financial inclusion. As Karen Kühlcke at insight2impact explains, requests for financial transaction data from external organizations can involve delays of several months, even as the partner confidently claims that “the data is arriving soon.” She explores how to manage this challenge to gain faster data access.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Building an inclusive city in Myanmar, one trash alley at a time
From Kenya to Colombia, Spain to Singapore, urban planners, businesses and citizens are creating green, open spaces in fast-growing cities to foster community spirit and tackle rising pollution and cramped living spaces.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Environment, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Big Investment in African Tech Set to Continue in 2020
2019 was the year that dealmaking on the continent got serious. Very serious. In November alone, indeed one specific seven-day period in the month, investors announced over $400m for various fintechs on the continent. This was the wildest week the sector had ever witnessed. And no, it wasn’t a flurry of announcements for modest rounds, but in fact a succession of big-ticket deals for fintech companies, both old and new.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- fintech, investment, technology
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