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Ex-Safaricom chief Joseph set to leave Vodafone
Former Safaricom #ticker:SCOM chief executive Michael Joseph is set to step down as Vodafone’s director of mobile money later this year as part of a wider plan to disengage from all his full-time roles at the telecom giant. Mr Joseph, who is the chairman of Kenya Airways #ticker:KQ, is also set to relinquish his non-executive director positions at Vodafone’s African subsidiaries — Vodacom Mozambique, Vodacom Tanzania and Vodacom Group South Africa.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Grameen Foundation lndia appoints Prabhat Labh as CEO
Grameen Foundation India, an innovator in the use of digital technology to advance financial inclusion, has named Prabhat Labh as its new CEO. He succeeds Chandni Ohri who helped to launch the company and has served as CEO since 2011. An international development expert with more than two decades of experience in leading programs and initiatives across Asia, Africa and North America. Prabhat brings with him an indepth knowledge of financial inclusion.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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‘Fintech startups in Middle East, North Africa raised $100m last decade’
Fintech startups in the Middle East and North Africa have raised $100-million over the last decade, yet 28% fail in their initial years, says a new report by business support organisation Wamda and online payment gateway Payfort.
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- Technology
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
- Tags
- fintech
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Australia’s DFAT and XPRIZE Team Up to Tackle Water Scarcity
XPRIZE, Tata Group and innovationXchange are together funding a prize for an affordable solution to water scarcity. The idea is to generate clean water from the air, in situations where water is currently unavailable or inaccessible. XPRIZE will help the top five finalists access advance market commitments, allowing them to test their technology in the field, at scale. Teams have until April 28 to register.
- Categories
- Environment, Technology
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IKEA aims to take 200,000 people out of poverty in massive social sustainability drive
IKEA is to open production centres in refugee camps in Jordan this summer as part of a long-term plan to create employment for 200,000 disadvantaged people around the world through social entrepreneurship programmes.
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- Technology
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
- Tags
- employment, manufacturing, refugees
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India’s attempt to go cashless is turning food vouchers digital
India's push for a digital, cashless society is well-documented by now. After last year's currency ban, the country has pushed cashless transactions in every sphere of citizen life — from payments at the local grocer and refuels at gas stations to utility bill payments and more.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Tanzania: 47% of GDP Transferred in Mobile Money Revolution
When Vodacom introduced the mobile money transfer service, M-Pesa, in 2008 financial inclusion in the country was below 16 per cent. Only eight years later, financial inclusion increased fivefold to reach 86 per cent putting Tanzania well ahead of most Sub-Saharan African countries.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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New RBI plan could bring bad news for m-wallets like Paytm and Mobikwik
Mobile wallet company executives last week expressed their concerns to Reserve Bank of India officials over the proposed guidelines for the sector, in their formal feedback to the regulator on them. RBI had issued draft guidelines for prepaid payment instrument (PPI) licence holders in March and several had flagged issues such as know your customer (KYC) norms.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- digital payments
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