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Study: Access to mobile phones won’t magically fix youth unemployment in Africa
In reality the extent to which the mobile phone can support and sustain real improvement in young lives is depressingly finite unless significant interventions occur – particularly in the education and technology sectors.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- employment, youth
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This Company Delivers Reproductive Health Products Directly To Women In The Developing World
In Rwanda, many women face obstacles to accessing necessary health and hygiene products, like pregnancy tests and birth control. For some, they’re just not available where they live. For others, lingering stigma and shame around sexuality make venturing out to buy them in public a daunting proposition.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Here’s how Aadhaar program is helping empower women in India
According to a Livemint report, all homes in the western state of Rajasthan have at least one bank account virtually, and most have several, since the introduction of the Aadhaar program.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Beyond the Bubble: What’s Cool, Potentially Cool, And Clearly Not Cool About Bitcoin in Financial Inclusion?
Bitcoin owners are laughing all the way to the (virtual) bank: The cryptocurrency’s value has gone up over 2,000 percent in the past year. But along with concerns about a likely "market correction," this has raised some pressing questions about its value as a tool for financial inclusion. Ignacio Mas explores Bitcoin's potential on that front, offering four points to consider.
- Categories
- Finance, Investing, Technology
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Hope is the Face of Financial Inclusion: See the winners of CGAP’s 2017 photo contest
A picture tells a thousand words and CGAP's 2017 photo contest yielded more than 3,000 entries from photographers in 76 countries, each telling a personal story of resilience. This year CGAP put out the call for images illustrating the economic lives of poor people and the impact that financial services can have. Explore the winners and discover the powerful stories behind them.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Finance, Technology
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Four Ways to Tackle Weak Competition in Digital Financial Services in Emerging Markets
Everyone loves a digital finance success story - but what happens when a firm's dominance gets out of hand? That's the issue in many emerging economies, where powerful players and extreme consolidation have raised the risk of abuses of market power. Simone di Castri and Ariadne Plaitakis of BFA suggest four ways policymakers and regulators can level the playing field.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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From All-Inclusive to Socially Inclusive: Travel and Tourism’s Big Shift is Under Way
Tourism is one of the world's largest industries – but how can it best be leveraged to move nations from poverty to prosperity? That was a key question at the recent "Global Conference on Jobs & Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism," organized in Jamaica by the UN's World Tourism Organization. NextBillion was a media partner at the conference, and we share some major themes (and a few controversial remarks) ranging from the impact of the sharing economy and Airbnb, to the problems with building "five-star hotels in three-star communities."
- Categories
- Social Enterprise, Technology
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The Clear Blue Water on the Other Side of the Digital Divide
Digital financial exclusion represents both a development challenge for poor customers, and a missed opportunity for providers, says MicroSave founder Graham Wright. While providers fight for a share of the most profitable and easiest-to-reach markets, they often overlook the vast commercial potential of lower-income communities – in territory that is largely not competed. Wright explores how to tap into this "fiercely loyal" market.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology