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After Day 50: The Results From India’s Demonetization Campaign Are In
On the same day that Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, India also received an unexpected, earth-shattering announcement. However, theirs wasn’t of a disruptive, unconventional presidential candidate coming to power but of a disruptive new policy that would instantly shake up the lives of 1.25 billion people, rich and poor alike. At 10 p.m. on November 8th, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that on the stroke of midnight all 500 and 1,000 rupee notes — 86% of the currency in circulation — would cease to become legal tender.
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Bangladesh government plans to strengthen Grameen Bank
Finance Minister AMA Muhith has said the government plans to strengthen Grameen Bank further so that the Nobel Prize winning microcredit lender becomes more relevant in changing times.
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- South Asia
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Rockefeller Foundation Picks Rajiv J. Shah, a Trustee, as President
Rajiv J. Shah, a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation, was asked about six months ago to join the committee that would select the foundation’s next president. He said no. Instead, Mr. Shah, who until recently had been the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, ultimately said he wanted to be considered for the post.
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- impact investing
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The Year in Social Enterprise and Impact Investing: 5 Happenings of Note in 2016
As 2016 draws to a close, it’s time to look back at some of the year's most noteworthy events and trends in the world of social enterprise and impact investing:
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- SDGs
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Microfinance Looks Toward the Future – But Will Fintech Revive the Controversies of Its Past?
James Militzer's wrap-up of European Microfinance Week says microfinance has lurched from development sector darling to punching bag over the years, but in the midst of this turmoil – and in reaction to it – practitioners at industry events have been diligently reimagining their sector. That take earned Militzer a spot in our Most Influential contest. You can participate by casting a vote ... but you've only got one more day.
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Opportunity International and MyBucks: A Dangerous Partnership Decision?
Long-time microfinance watchdog Chuck Waterfield expresses serious concerns about the ramifications of Opportunity International's sale of six microfinance banks to the fintech company MyBucks – both for the clients of those banks as well as for the broader microfinance industry. This post, which originally appeared on June 21, was the most popular post on NB that month, and is part of our Most Influential Post of 2016 contest.
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The Surprising Reason Why Savings Boosts Income: New Research Reveals an Unexpected Benefit of Financial Inclusion
Make it easier to save, and people will save more. This seems straightforward and holds true for customers in rich and poor countries alike. Make it easier to save, and people will save more and earn more. This sounds a little less intuitive, especially if you posit that this increase in income will happen almost immediately. Yet this is exactly what researchers have found - and the reason why is surprising.
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Is Maharashtra the Next Andhra Pradesh for the Microfinance Industry?
Microfinance companies in Maharashtra are seeing early signs of trouble, reminiscent of a crisis that gripped the sector in 2010 when repayments came to a virtual standstill in Andhra Pradesh revealing poor lending practices by the industry.
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- South Asia
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