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Six Fintech Innovations Will Boost Financial Inclusion Levels for MENA’s Unbanked
“Covid-19 has accelerated the already pressing need for services that bring the advantages of financial inclusion to large swathes of the population and by extension national economies,” said Alicia Sornson, manager programmes and partnerships in Mena, at Village Capital.
“Regulators and investors are among the best placed to create the conditions that allow innovation to thrive."- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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Fintech Adoption: Mobile, Digital, and Contactless Payments Increasingly Being Used in Indonesia Due to COVID-19
The COVID-19 outbreak has created significant socio-economic challenges, which have impacted individuals and businesses across the globe. More people are now spending time at home due to government-enforced nationwide lockdowns.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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Viewpoint: Mobile Money Helps Close Kenya’s Gender Gap in Financial Services
Mobile money has had the biggest impact on closing the gender gap in access to financial services in Kenya, deputy central bank governor Sheila M’Mbijiwe has said.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Renewable Energy Is Electrifying COVID-19 Isolation Centers in Nigeria
The COVID-19 pandemic has upturned our 21st century existence, wreaking havoc on both social and cultural norms and our way of life. It has also crippled the global economy and continues to impact diverse business sectors and industries — travel, transportation, education, and manufacturing.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Energy, Environment, Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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COVID-19 Pushes Rural Myanmar Towards Moneylenders
Desperate for cash and low on work, rural households are turning to high-interest loans from informal moneylenders as microfinance companies are forced to cut back on credit.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Viewpoint: True Decentralization Is Needed for Financial Inclusion and Coronavirus Stimulus
Blockchain technology can reduce the inefficiency and even corruption that accompany centralization. While those who already have access to significant capital can make blockchain investments, it’s important to remember how everyone from small-business owners and workers to underserved communities can benefit.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Tags
- blockchain, cryptocurrency
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‘Opportunity Zones’ Fall Short on Helping Low-Income Communities, Study Finds
“Opportunity zones,” a cornerstone of the White House plan to combat racial inequality, have mainly helped large real estate projects while many low-income communities have yet to benefit, according to a new study.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Impact Assessment, Investing
- Region
- North America
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Intelligence Brief: How Is COVID-19 Affecting Emerging Markets?
The Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and resulting widespread shift in working patterns and increased demand for home entertainment has thrust communications and the resiliency of telecoms networks to the fore. The outbreak has, and will continue to have, sweeping effects on all aspects of the global economy. As social distancing and travel disruption continue to impact supply and demand, a reduction of global GDP growth by 4.5 percentage points is expected in 2020, with a direct knock-on effect to the telecoms sector among others.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Impact Assessment, Uncategorized
- Tags
- e-commerce
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