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Nigeria sets up a committee to study Bitcoin penetration
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Commission (NDIC) have set up a committee to investigate the growing trend of bitcoin use, according to the government-owned broadcasting station, the Voice of Nigeria. The news was revealed on Friday by NDIC Managing Director Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim at the 2016 Workshop for Financial Correspondents in Kaduna.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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How Bitcoin will (and will not) work in Africa
Digital money can be traced when payments are made, providing transparency and trust in transactions. It can be managed by more than one party at a time (such as a mobile operator and a user), it can’t be easily stolen when it’s stored or transferred, and it can “travel” any distance in seconds.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Kenyan Banks Are Closing in on What They Think Will Be the Perfect M-Pesa Disruptor
Early next year, Kenyan banks are expected to unveil a digital and mobile money transfer platform to rival M-Pesa’s longstanding dominance as the scramble for cashless payments intensifies.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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India’s Largest Mobile Wallet App Disappears From the App Store
With new users comes new responsibilities. India’s largest mobile wallet app is quickly realising this in both good and hard ways.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- fintech
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Where Science, Schools, and Social Entrepreneurship Meet
In a small workshop, hidden away on Pune’s NDA road, a demonstration is under way. A supervisor draws diagrams on a white-board, watched closely by a group of four or five employees. Shelves line the walls, displaying a variety of science models on bases made of black acrylic fibre; more acrylic sheets are stacked to one side; a DC motor vies for space with a conductivity tester, a beam balance and a large yellow plastic ball (intended to explain how the human retina functions). All told, this workshop produces 81 such models, covering around 540 concepts of science for students from the third to the tenth grade.
- Categories
- Education, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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The Mobile Trap: How Safaricom and Other MNOs Prey on the Poor
Safaricom and others are "using Premium Rate Services to fleece consumers," writes Wayan Vota. "The development community prides itself on being advocates for the poor, and digital development practitioners have the added responsibility to advocate for cyber-marginalized citizens. We should not be blindly driving women to own and use mobile phones, when those devices will only impoverish them further."
- Categories
- Technology
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Mobile Phones Help Kenyans to Stay Healthier
The exponential growth of mobile telephony in Kenya has seen changes not only in communication but healthcare as well.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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A Solution to the Drama of Digital Finance
There are advantages to being a digital financial services provider, but also risks surrounding questions such as: Which business model should I choose? Should I develop my own digital platform or leverage someone else’s? Do I want to deploy my own network of agents? Will I partner with an MNO? That's why UNCDF’s MicroLead program, PHB Development and The MasterCard Foundation are working together to provide toolkits for FSPs.
- Categories
- Technology
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