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Mexican central bank in talks with Amazon about new mobile payments
The payment system, known as CoDi, is being built by central bank Banco de México, known as Banxico. CoDi will allow customers to make payments online and in person through smartphones free of charge using QR codes.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Latin America
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Seeing the Road Ahead: Women in the Driver’s Seat for Change
Esenam Nyador knows it’s not enough to just give women opportunities in the male-dominated taxi business in Ghana. She’s focused on shifting the mindsets of taxi companies, male drivers and the general public to build an inclusive environment for females to thrive – not just to drive. Nyador is one of several women profiled by Jennifer Vogt, Innovation Manager at Ashoka Social Financial Services. As we near International Women’s Day, Vogt showcases several women who are not only challenging male-dominated workplaces, but the entire systems enabling them.
- Categories
- Technology, Transportation
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Digital commerce will transform African economies, starting with cheaper phones
Growth could have a massive impact on African countries, with their young and increasingly urban populations. But most governments are not ready.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- e-commerce, employment
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ATMs For Medicine? That’s One Way Pharmacies Are Going Digital
Officially, the ATM-like machines are called Pharmacy Dispensing Units. They cost about $159,000 each are being funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and other global organizations.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Freeing the Data to Build the Off-Grid Energy Sector: A Case Study from Tanzania
Mini-grids and solar home systems are showing promise in many parts of Tanzania and other countries. But Christopher Arderne at the World Bank and Pepukaye Bardouille at the IFC flag a key challenge: Lack of coordination and information-sharing between government and the private sector means off-grid developers may target sites that will become grid-connected before they can recover their investments. Arderne and Bardouille share some free new data tools that blend local participation and infrastructure mapping to help off-grid players avoid this risk.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
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Regarding Facebook’s cryptocurrency
This is not Facebook’s first venture into virtual currencies, payments, or peer-to-peer payments via messenger app.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Report: Biodiversity crisis: Technological advances in agriculture are not a sufficient response
Rapid population and economic growth are destroying biodiversity. A growing demand for agricultural products requires ever new cultivated areas. Even though technological advances are making agriculture more efficient, the growing population makes up for these successes. Effective nature conservation needs concepts against population growth and for sustainable consumption.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Technology
- Tags
- agtech
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Millions of Ugandans quit internet services as social media tax takes effect
In the three months following the introduction of the levy, the number of internet subscriptions to such services fell by more than 2.5 million, according to the Uganda Communications Commission. Fears have been raised over the impact on the economy.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- public policy
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