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State Bank of Pakistan approves launch of the country’s first free mobile wallet service
Mobile payment app SimSim became Pakistan’s first free mobile wallet service after the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) approved the official launch of the service – a move the company said would boost financial inclusion in the country.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Beyond ‘Pilotitis’: Three Critical Success Factors for National Digital Health Strategies
The ecosystem of digital health solutions and programs remains disjointed and many countries are moving toward the complex task of implementing national strategies to coordinate this fragmentation. A new report highlights eight countries that are effectively developing and implementing national digital health strategies, and finds three common success factors.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
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Can digital credit work for development?
The rise of digital banking means that people around the world can now borrow, save or pay with their mobile phones. Digital credit providers are using alternative sources of data to determine creditworthiness and provide loans to populations that have never had access to them before. But while these products offer a convenient way for consumers to access cash for personal or business expenses, they also present risks. If borrowers do not understand the loan terms, or take out more than they are able to repay, the result can be bankruptcy.
- Categories
- Technology
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Building an App in Africa: Lessons From an Aspiring Tech Disruptor
The motorcycle taxi, or boda boda, industry is the second-highest employer in Uganda, but is marked by rising crime and road accidents. SafeBoda, founded in 2015, wants to change this through an app that connects its community of trained, professional drivers with passengers who are looking for a safer ride. The company's co-founder discusses what they've learned so far about building an app in Africa.
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- Technology, Telecommunications, Transportation
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From Beehive Fences to Coconut Bombs: 10 Non-Chemical Pest-Control Innovations for the Global South
Farm-raiding elephants and malarial mosquitoes are among the pests that plague the Global South. But farmers there also contend with pests that are all too familiar on farms anywhere in the world: harvest-munching rats and mice, for example. Rob Goodier at Engineering for Change lists 10 non-chemical pest-control solutions designed for any place resources are constrained.
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- Agriculture, Social Enterprise, Technology
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Omise to raise $19M in first cryptocurrency sale from a major VC-backed startup
Kik has raised over $120 million from investors to date and it claims 300 million registered users, making it the most established company to throw its hat in the ICO ring thus far, but it is about to be beaten to the punch by Omise, a Thailand-based company that provides Stripe-like payment features in Japan and Southeast Asia.
- Categories
- Technology
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Africa as a Hotbed for Innovation: Technology Providing New Ways to Look at Age-Old Problems
Intellecap’s latest research explores how emerging technologies can trigger a set of big shifts in Africa over the next decade, and how innovators and enterprises there can leverage these shifts to help address the continent’s mega-challenges in a variety of sectors, including agriculture, financial services, health care, education, energy and water.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise, Technology
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Reserve Bank of India allows co-operative banks to issue mobile wallets
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed co-operative banks, who are permitted to install ATMs and issue debit cards, to also issue prepaid payment instruments PPIs like mobile wallets.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- mobile finance
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