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Why investing in “good” goes a long way
One of the most intriguing developments of the last 20 years is the rise of the “social enterprise” – a hybrid between a traditional private company and a charitable organisation that pursues a social objective through a business model.
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- Uncategorized
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Indonesia on Track to Greater Financial Inclusion
Millions of unbanked Indonesians are going to enjoy easier access to the savings, loan and insurance services on the back of the government's renewed political will to tackle financial exclusion, an executive at Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's seeks to grant access to financial services to 75 percent of Indonesian adults by 2019, up from 36 percent in 2014.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Follow the Money: The IT Hurdles of Microlending
When the crowdfunding non-profit Kiva.org launched a pilot in 2014 to streamline their transactions in Kenya, they met local shop owners like Esther, who was running a stall called “Facebook Cereals.” Kenya had suffered political unrest in recent years, and Esther had to restart her business in the Toi Market of Nairobi twice. But she kept her smile.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Survey: Lack of Financial Literacy Costs Americans over $9,700 across their Lifetimes
The National Financial Educators Council recently released results of a survey about financial knowledge conducted with 3,006 people in six age categories across the US. People were asked, "Across your entire lifetime, about how much money do you think you have lost because you lacked knowledge about personal finances?"
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Meet the 2017 Skoll Awardees for Social Entrepreneurship
Kicking off next week’s 14th Annual Skoll World Forum, the Skoll Foundation announced the four recipients of the 2017 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. The Skoll Awards distinguish transformative leaders whose organizations disrupt the status quo, drive sustainable large-scale change, and are poised to create even greater impact on the world.
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- Uncategorized
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- North America
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Study: Many South Africans ill-equipped to make sound money decisions
A considerable portion of South African adults may not be adequately equipped to make key financial decisions, a new financial literacy study has found. While there was broad evidence that South Africans had a positive attitude towards saving, personal and macroeconomic realities often hindered their savings behaviour, Benjamin Roberts, senior research manager at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), said.
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- Uncategorized
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- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Indian MFI group to refuse loans to defaulters of any member firm
A lobby group of microlenders on Tuesday decided to disallow loans for new applicants who have previously defaulted on repaying any other lender.
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- Uncategorized
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- South Asia
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- lending, microfinance
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Has the Indian Government’s Microloan Scheme Been Successful?
The government’s micro loan scheme, going by the moniker Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, has disbursed Rs1.53 trillion worth of loans so far in 2016-17, which represents a 15.04% growth from the previous fiscal year. Recall that in fiscal year 2016 (FY16), when the scheme was first implemented, disbursements had exceeded the target specified by that year’s budget.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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