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Cost vs. Tech: Will innovation make it affordable to transact with the BoP?
NextBillion Financial Innovation’s introductory series features the views of top innovators and leaders on what’s driving financial innovation, where momentum is heading, and what obstacles remain. Today, Anurag Agrawal, CEO of Intellecap lays out the core isssues involved in bringing low-cost financial products to customers at the base of the pyramid.
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NexThought Monday – Life of a Social Entrepreneur: Managing the flurry of conferences and your expectations
We have been to all types of conferences: big and small, near and far, focused on international development and focused on entrepreneurship. We have been attendees, panelists, and presenters. But unlike some of the competitions and prizes that Starr mentioned, we have found that these conferences can either be incredibly helpful or not helpful at all. It depends entirely on expectations.
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Sowing the seeds of social investment in Vietnam
British council initiatives will support the British governments scheme to promote international social investment. Like early stage social enterprises around the world, most social enterprises in Vietnam depend on grants, personal loans and then income to get their businesses up and running. But as they mature and look to the future, they increasingly seek out investment capital.
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MPesa And GCash: Can ‘Lean Regulation’ Be A Gamechanger for Financial Innovation?
The Lean Startup Approach emphasizes scientific experimentation, validated learning, iterative product design, and frequent product releases to gain customer feedback so that entrepreneurs can innovate on observed – rather than on pre-supposed – customer needs. Chris Bishko and Pearl Chan term this trend “Lean Regulation” where regulation is iteratively layered in as the market develops.
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Mobile Payment Startups Face Reluctant Indian Consumers
India has 554 million active cellphone users, yet only four percent use mobile banking. Still, the number of people who are weaning themselves off cash payments is steadily rising.
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New blow for microlenders in South Africa
GRAMEEN bank founder Muhammad Yunus, widely considered the father of modern microcredit, issued a stern warning on Friday about how microlending could become “abusive” and be misused by lenders.
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ADB clears $700 mn loan for Indian infrastructure development
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $700 million in loans to support the Indian government's efforts to accelerate investment in infrastructure which the country requires to ensure strong economic growth.
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- South Asia
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Colombia to improve capital city’s public transport system with IDB loan
Colombia will improve its public transportation system in Bogota with a $40 million loan approved by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), making its hallmark bus system better as well as cleaner.
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- Latin America
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- infrastructure, lending
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