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IFC To Start $100M Microfinance Debt Fund
International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector investment arm of the World Bank Group, along with two other investors, will set up a $100 million debt fund called Micro Finance Initiative for Asia (MIFA), to address the funding needs of microfinance institutions in developing and underdeveloped economies.
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- Asia Pacific
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On International Women’s Day, Highlighting Ideas and Action
On International Women’s Day, we have collected a few examples of women and their important role within the realm of social enterprise to highlight today. Two announcements particularly relevant to the NextBillion audience include the Calvert Foundation’s new campaign (with support from Citi Foundation) to advance women’s economic empowerment globally and the Women Deliver list of the top 50 ideas and solutions for improving girls and women’s lives worldwide.
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- impact investing
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Tiny Loans, Tremendous Returns: Tales from the Microlending Frontier
Sometimes, small gestures can make huge differences in people's lives and livelihoods. That's the premise -- and the power -- of microlending.
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- Latin America
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Roundup – 3/3/12: Profiting Off the Poor, the Ends vs. the Means
So this week’s batch of articles primarily has focused on the growth of mobile money, be it in banking or in the form of an e-wallet. It also settled a key debate around profiting off the poor, at least between Vikram Akula, then the founder and CEO of SKS Microfinance, and Grameen Bank Founder Muhammad Yunus.
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- microfinance
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Creating an impact
FOUNDER and chairwoman of Impact Investment Exchange Asia (IIX) in Singapore Durreen Shahnaz is seeking to create the Impact Exchange a social enterprise exchange. “By investing through the Impact Exchange, impact investors can significantly lower their market research and due diligence costs, as well as have liquidity in their investments thus allowing for more impact and wealth to be created and brought into the space,” she says.
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- South Asia
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- impact investing
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Touring the New NextBillion: New Jobs, Events Calendar
With the redesigned NB, we think we’ve made it easier to find, share and submit jobs; while keeping up with important dates on your social enterprise calendar. So let me take this opportunity to quickly walk you through these new features.
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Omidyar Network and ACCION Invest US $3.2 Million in Mobile Transactions International
Omidyar Network and ACCION International announced today that they have invested US $3.2 million in Mobile Transactions International, a Zambia-based company that leverages mobile technology and an agent network to enable financial transactions across the Zambian economy. The $4 million investment round also includes $500,000 in converted debt funding from Mennonite Economic Development Associates.
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- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Young Entrepreneurs at the Harvard Social Enterprise Conference: Defending the American Dream, Changing the World
This weekend’s Harvard Social Enterprise Conference kicked off on a youthful note with the Young Entrepreneur’s Keynote, which included Kavita Shuka of Fenugreen, Lauren Bush Lauren of Feed Projects, and Taylor Conroy of TenInThree.com.
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