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Somalia is a leader in mobile money but still wants to print its first cash notes in 25 years
The collapse of the Somali government in 1991 saw the rise of unique political, economic and social outfits, all clambering to fill the void of government institutions. After a few years of relative stability and successful elections, Somalia’s new government hopes to reverse all that. Buoyed by donors, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the country now wants to resume printing banknotes this year.
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- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Harvard Business School’s Venture Competition to Offer a Record $300,000 in Prizes to Student Businesses, Social Enterprises, and Alumni Ventures
In April, Harvard students and alumni will compete for $300,000 in cash prizes to fund their startup dreams in the 20th Anniversary New Venture Competition. Past competition winners and participants will also return to campus for programs and a celebratory 20th Anniversary New Venture Competition Finale on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, HBS said in a statement.
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Eat This Peanut Butter, Help Save A Child’s Life
If you order chocolate pretzel peanut spread from a tiny startup based in Boulder, Colorado, you could help save a toddler's life in South Sudan.
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- Sub-Saharan Africa
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- nutrition
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Are venture funds missing out on a huge India opportunity?
Are venture funds missing the wood for the trees in India? Even while there is talk of a suspected slowdown in startup funding, the amount of money sloshing around is large. But how much of an impact is it having, and why is the average Indian not being affected by it? For that, you have to pause and take another look. What do you see?
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- South Asia
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India wants to make credit and debit cards obsolete for payments
Ever since India invalidated much of its cash, it has been encouraging its citizens to switch to mobile wallets and other epayment solutions. Today, it took another step in pushing its citizens to embark on the cashless payment solutions — but early boomers aren't going to like it. The Indian government has launched BharatQR Code to enable people to pay for things they purchase without swiping their plastic cards. Instead, merchants can ask shoppers to scan a QR code and make payments directly from their bank account.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Client Outcomes Data in Microfinance: Few Have It But Everybody Needs It
Many recent studies have found that microfinance has no impact, or minimal positive impact, on clients’ lives. To find out why and to fix the problem, financial service providers need client outcomes data, but few FSPs collect it because they think it would be too expensive and time-consuming. Turns out, according to the SPTF Outcomes Working Group, it's not.
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EXCLUSIVE: Bandhan Bank CEO on why we still need physical branches
The competition in the banking sector is all about services, Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Bandhan Bank, said in an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol's Beena Parmar. Since starting operations in August 2015, the Kolkata-headquartered lender has garnered a record deposit base of Rs 20,000 crore and a similar amount in its loan portfolio.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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The Hidden Cost of Digital Convenience
Technology has the potential to reduce costs and provide added financial benefits to poor clients, but a new paper discusses a downside to digitizing group microfinance transactions; namely, a reduction in group cohesion and sensitivity to transaction fees. Innovations for Poverty Action and others are partnering with product designers and microfinance groups to overcome these challenges.
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