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Safaricom rejects Kenyan regulator’s request for free access to taxpayers’ M-Pesa accounts
Safaricom said it will not give the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) customer data unless laws touching on confidentiality are changed to allow the mining of such information. The KRA is seeking to gain unrestricted access to taxpayers’ bank and mobile money accounts as part of the efforts to catch tax cheats and improve revenue collection as its targets continue to rise.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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NexThought Monday: Marking a Shift at the BOP World Convention
Two years ago, in Singapore, the BOP World Convention & Expo explored cross-sector partnerships and hybrid models as potential catalysts. This year, the convention will focus on inclusive economies, what can drive them, and their implications for the BoP.
- Categories
- Education, Social Enterprise, Technology
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Zimbabwe introduces electronic Point of Sale terminals at all public institutions – but leaves out mobile money
This is expected to ease the challenges being faced with the current cash crisis that has gripped the country. It also follows the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s announcement on the reduction of bank charges that have lowered the cost of POS transactions to between 10 cents and 45 cents per transaction.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Caricoin launches bitcoin mobile wallet for Caribbean users
Talking about the new launch of first of its kind app in the Caribbean, Karsten Becker, CEO, Caricoin told in the press release that, “Much in the way email changed the world by making communication fast and cheap, bitcoin is changing the world of digital finance and reshaping how we perceive, manage and store our money.”
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- Technology
- Region
- Latin America
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Mark Zuckerberg’s foundation is investing millions in a company that trains coders in Africa
Andela, the Lagos-based company that trains and deploys software developers, is closing a $24 million Series B round—with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), founded by Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, leading the round.'
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Viewpoint: India’s fintech revolution is primed to put banks out of business
Infosys founder Nandan Nilekani calls it India’s “WhatsApp Moment,” echoing how a simple software solution from Silicon Valley turned the Asian telecommunications industry upside down, making obsolete decades of infrastructure,business models and loyal customer relationships with massive telecom operators.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- fintech
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Identity is Everything: Creating a Digital ID Future
In the developing world, over 2 billion people lack an official ID, preventing them from accessing services vital to robust economic and political lives, such as bank accounts. Digital identity offers an unprecedented opportunity to level the playing field for each unique person on this planet, helping them raise themselves, and their countries, out of poverty.
- Categories
- Technology
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Getting 4 Billion New Internet Users Online: Deploying Conversational AI at the BoP
Do you remember JARVIS, the computerized personal assistant who helps Tony Stark manage his complex super hero affairs in the Iron Man movies? With the rise of conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) like Google Home or Amazon Echo, or the smartphone-based Viv, Siri, Cortana, etc., similar JARVIS-like services may be available in the not-so-distant future. But wouldn’t it be better if this technology actually helped increase equality of global mobile access and information, in addition to just ordering take out?
- Categories
- Technology
- Tags
- fintech