-
Indian City Advances as Fintech Hub as Visa, Reuters Move In
Multinational giants Thomson Reuters and Visa will launch their operations in the south Indian city of Vishakhapatnam next month, as the city gains prominence as a leading financial technology hub in the country. Global data and technology provider Thomson Reuters will join the world’s leading payments network Visa in launching operations in Vishakhapatnam, a coastal Indian city in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
-
Kenya Cabinet Secretary denies claims that government wants to break up Safaricom
The government has allayed reports that it is intending to split leading telecommunication operator in the country, Safaricom. Information, Communication and Technology Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru has insisted that the government’s role is to provide policy guidance and coordination in the sector as opposed to interfering in business operations and investment.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
-
Facebook plans to lay almost 500 miles of fiber cable in Africa for better wireless internet
Facebook has a new plan to get more of Africa online: Fiber optic cables. The social giant on Monday announced plans to lay nearly 500 miles of fiber cable in Uganda by the end of the year, infrastructure that Facebook believes will provide internet access for more than three million people.
- Categories
- Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Microloan approvals done in 7 minutes, not 7 days in India
Bharat Financial Inclusion, India's second-largest microfinance company, has linked its credit systems to the national database to speed up cheaper financing to those at the margins.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
-
PesaLink is no threat to M-Pesa, says Safaricom
The planned launch of interbank mobile money transfer system next month by commercial banks will not slow down revenues from Safaricom's M-Pesa, chief executive Bob Collymore has said. He says a significant number of close to 25 million customers on its money-minting machine, M-Pesa, will not be swayed by PesaLink because they do not hold conventional bank accounts.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Calls from rivals for higher charges by Safaricom rejected
Proposals by Airtel and Telkom Kenya that could have seen Safaricom forced to charge its customers higher rates than its rival telecommunications providers have been rejected by consultants hired to assess competition in the sector.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
From Beneficiary to Customer: 40K Transitions from School-building Charity to Edtech Social Enterprise
It took five years for 40K to build its first school in India. Over that time, the organization learned a lot about the key barriers that were preventing quality education from proliferating in rural areas. Over the next two years, 40K transformed from a school-building charity to an edtech social enterprise. Clary Castrission, founder and CEO, explains why, and how the transition is progressing.
- Categories
- Education, Social Enterprise, Technology
-
Woman-Led Tala Raises $30 Million Series B For Micro-Loans Via Smartphone
Tala, a startup that makes micro-loans to entrepreneurs in the developing world via smartphone app, has raised a $30 million Series B round as it expands into new geographical markets.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Tags
- fintech, venture capital
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter, "NextBillion Notes"
Published each Wednesday, our e-newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with a selection of news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage — and regular conference ticket giveaways.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.