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Driving Financial Inclusion at 4G Speed
Base-of-the-pyramid financial services providers in emerging markets are increasingly using data analytics to pioneer new products for reaching the unbanked. Alifinance in China is using the underlying transaction data of vendors on the giant online platform Alibaba to underwrite small business loans. M-Shwari in Kenya leverages M-Pesa's mobile money data for short-term, unsecured credit. Cignifi analyzes cell phone usage to provide credit as well as savings propensity scores. Lenddo uses online social network data for credit risk assessment. Similarly, a number of companies including Tiaxa and MODE use cell phone data to extend immediate nano-credits to prepaid customers who run out of airtime balances.
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- Technology
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Obgyn Training in Sub-Saharan Africa Bolstered By New Collections Shared Both Online and Offline
U-M’s 1000+ OBGYN Project provides free access to educational materials to support ob-gyn training in Africa for improved maternal, newborn care.
- Categories
- Education, Health Care, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Africa Can Lead the Way in Mobile
It is a truth universally acknowledged that the future of Africa is mobile. And it does seem that the good news for mobile in Africa keeps on rolling in. This month a bullish MTN Group announced a 20% jump in net profit in 2014 from the previous year, with sales growth in Nigeria and other major markets such as Cameroon and Uganda. The company announced that it would invest R30bn this year to grow its infrastructure in the 23 countries where it operates.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Report: Over 700 Million in Asia Already Bank Digitally
According to a new report from McKinsey & Company, smartphones and high speed Internet access are transforming banking habits in Asia where over 700 million people already regularly conduct transactions online.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Cellphones for Women in Developing Nations Aid Ascent From Poverty
Here is what life is like for a woman with no bank account in a developing country. She keeps her savings hidden — in pots, under mattresses, in fields. She constantly worries about thieves. She may even worry about her husband taking cash she has budgeted for their children’s needs. Sending money to a family member in another village is risky and can take days. Obtaining a loan in an emergency is often impossible.
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- Technology
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Wheel of Fortune
The entrepreneur hopes to empower the differently-abled by manufacturing vehicles that offer mobility, quality at a reduced cost and even aid in employment.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Press Release: Millicom Launches Rwanda’s First Mobile-Based Savings Product with Tigo Cash
Millicom (Stockholmsbörsen: MIC), the international telecommunications and media company, announced today that its Tigo operation in Rwanda has launched the country’s first mobile-based savings product – Tigo Sugira – with Tigo Cash.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Report: Cross-Border Mobile Money Transfer Could Be Available Across East Africa by End of Year
Kwale — Citizens of the East African Community will by the end of this year be able to transfer money via mobile phones across borders if full implementation of the One Area Network Agreement (OANA) succeeds.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa