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Y Combinator Nonprofit Zidisha Changes Microfinance Equation
The nonprofit says it has figured out a way of getting a 90% repayment rate on business loans to the types of people no financial institution would trust–young people in poor African countries without as much as a permanent address.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Tags
- lending, microfinance
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India telcos agree on mobile banking through SMSs
MUMBAI: Mobile companies have been persuaded by the Narendra Modi government to share a slice of their infrastructure to pave the way for basic banking services through cellphones.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- mobile finance
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Rwanda: Microfinance Sector Soldiers On Despite Burden of Bad Loans
Sector experts say there is an urgent need to address challenges facing MFIs, especially by empowering the sector to enhance its capacity and performance.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Can crowdfunding help finance the ‘missing middle?’
What does a social business do when they don’t have a rich uncle to help them go from microenterprise to a small- or medium-sized enterprises? The answer may be crowdfunding.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Tags
- crowdfunding, microfinance
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India’s MFIs shift focus to urban areas
Microfinance institutions (MFIs), which evolved as precursors of the rural thrift credit market in India, are now shifting to urban areas, with big slums in cities turning out to be cost-effective markets over small villages in far-flung locations.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- microfinance
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$75,000 Anzisha Prize for Young Entrepreneurs Announces 2014 Finalists
For the first time ever, African Leadership Academy and The MasterCard Foundation are delighted to have Anzisha Prize finalists from Togo and Ivory Coast (http://www.anzishaprize.org), revealing strong growth in entrepreneurship activity amongst youth in West Africa. Five young women are among the 12 finalists in the running for the $75,000 prize money that will be awarded on 23 September 2014, and will fly to Johannesburg from DRC, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and Nigeria.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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A tiffin service that serves a special ‘social story’
Her husband hasn’t spoken to her in three months, but Neetu hopes he will come around. After all, she says, working with Lunchbox 17, a tiffin delivery service in South Delhi, has completely changed her attitude. The social enterprise was launched in May by youth-run NGO Swechha and employs women from Jagdamba Camp, a slum near the organisation’s Khirki Extension offices. The initiative aims to provide employment, and eventually empowerment, to the women, and clean and tasty food to young professionals and students in the area.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Microfinance as a panacea to Nigeria’s unemployment challenge
As credit plays vital role in start-up and expansion of businesses, microfinance has been treated as an important tool for economic development.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- employment, microfinance
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