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Moving Beyond Credit: Why Savings Should Take Center Stage in Digital Financial Inclusion
As mobile money continues to overtake traditional banking in emerging markets, putting financial services within reach of the unbanked, credit remains front and center in the conversation. But Buhle Goslar at JUMO says it's time to focus on an important yet underutilized tool that could help promote a well-rounded, healthy financial life for excluded customers – savings. She details how new tech and training programs can go beyond simple access and towards a new culture of savings.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Facebook Plans Own Mobile Money Wallet Based on New Libra Currency
Facebook has released more details of its planned currency Libra. The first product will be a digital wallet designed to make it easy to save, spend and transfer money over the internet. The wallet will be available in Messenger, WhatsApp and as a standalone app, with an expected launch in 2020, the company said.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Uber Thinks Its Data Can Solve Nairobi’s Epic Traffic Jams
With more than 4.5 million people, traffic congestion in the Kenyan capital can be maddening, especially during peak hours. Rapid urbanization, a rise in the number of car owners, poor infrastructure, and an ad-hoc system of colorful matatu busses are jamming up the city’s streets, making them dirtier and deadlier than ever before.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: Untapped Market for Digital Services to Transform African Agriculture Worth up to €2.3 Billion, New Report Finds
“Digitalisation can be a game-changer in modernising and transforming Africa’s agriculture, attracting young people to farming and allowing farmers to optimise production while also making them more resilient to climate change,” said Michael Hailu, Director of CTA.
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- Press Release
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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How Blockchain Can Enable Economic Inclusion of Refugees
For Syrian and other refugees travelling to Europe, emerging blockchain-based solutions can play a vital role in facilitating labour recruitment and data exchange of jobseekers in a trusted and secure manner, enabling refugees to find a job or start a business.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Viewpoint: Impact Investing Can Unlock the Potential of Blockchain in Africa
Impact investors should wake up to the potential of blockchain. The positives of security and transparency via distributed ledgers outweigh the negative perceptions, such as the ICO bubble.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: MDaaS Global Closes on Seed Funding of $1 Million
MDaaS was created to address the lack of high-quality, affordable diagnostic services available for low- and middle-income sub-Saharan Africans, starting with Nigeria’s 130 million low- and middle-income patients. Where available and up-to-date, health services are unaffordable for most of Nigeria’s population, and expensive out-of-pocket costs discourage patients. MDaaS leverages its vertically-integrated supply chain, technology platform, and patient-centered design to provide modern, convenient services at a price point patients can afford.
- Source
- Press Release
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Serving Refugee Communities with Tech, Energy Access, Entrepreneurship: Mastercard and USAID’s Collective Approach
Last year, USAID and Mastercard established the Smart Communities Coalition (SCC), a network of 35+ public and private organizations. The group is developing new ways companies, NGOs, governments and UN agencies can co-design and co-implement programs that empower people and enable growth in energy access, connectivity and digital tools. Katrina Pielli with USAID and Sasha Kapadia with Mastercard explain why the group chose to focus on Uganda and Kenya as pilot countries, which collectively host over 1.5 million refugees.
- Categories
- Energy, Entrepreneurship, Technology
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