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Viewpoint: Unlocking the Untapped Opportunity in Asia Through Impact Investing
There is a huge, untapped market opportunity in Asia, driven by under-served populations, with income levels of the poor in Asia expected to increase significantly over the next decade.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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‘Afro-Optimism’ on the Rise Among Continent’s Youth, Finds Survey
Ivor Ichikowitz, chairman of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, which commissioned the survey, said the results “are a loud wake-up call to all the Afro-sceptics”.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- global development, research, youth
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Facebook Backs Indian Education Startup Unacademy
Unacademy, one of India’s fastest growing education startups, has just received the backing of a major technology giant: Facebook.
- Categories
- Education, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- startups, venture capital
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Tech Startups Are Flooding Kenya With Apps Offering High-Interest Loans
Tala has made $1 billion in microloans to people in developing countries, all using its app. It says it can reach those who’ve been ignored by banks, because its software generates instant credit ratings from data scraped off prospective borrowers’ phones. The company is part of the financial-inclusion movement, a loose coalition of tech companies, banks, and nongovernmental organizations trying to lift people out of poverty by offering them new ways to gain access to loans and other financial services.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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What’s Working – And What’s Not – in Africa: A New Report Aims to Inform Better Development Practice on the Continent
The challenges facing Africa are substantial – but so too are the unique assets the continent possesses. As the development sector works to address those challenges and leverage those assets, it's useful to highlight both the approaches that are working – and those that aren't. That's the goal of Next Generation's recent report on the social investment and development industry trends impacting Africa. Reana Rossouw explores its findings.
- Categories
- Technology
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New Technologies Have Historically Led to Increased Inequality—Not Anymore
New developments can be an amazing social equaliser: 3D printing is democratising manufacturing, while mobile banking provides easy access to banking services and increases the earning power of small businesses. But access to technology often dictates what opportunities are available.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Leveraging Blockchain for Good: A Q&A with Ken Weber, Head of Social Impact at Ripple
Blockchain has been sparking social innovation for years – and much of it has focused on payments. Ripple has been an innovator in this space since 2012, leveraging its blockchain-powered payment technology to enable international remittances through a network that now spans over 40 countries and six continents. In this Q&A, Ken Weber, Ripple’s Head of Social Impact discusses the company's multi-faceted efforts to "advance socially responsible and equitable uses of blockchain, cryptocurrency and related technologies.”
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Trump’s Latest “Visa Ban” Poses a Threat—and an Opportunity—to Nigeria’s Tech Ecosystem
While Nigeria is not the only country affected by the “ban”, it is, by far, the most high profile country affected by what the Trump administration describes as a penalty for unsatisfactory security and information sharing standards.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- public policy