-
Pandemic Strengthens African Bank Digitization
Within Sub-Saharan Africa, Mobile Money Providers Have Waived or Reduced Transaction Fees While Governments Are Encouraging Digital Payments as a Strategy to Wean off Person-To-Person Contact.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Kenya’s Safaricom to link its M-Pesa platform with Visa’s network
Visa and Safaricom have agreed a deal which will connect the Kenyan telecom operator's M-Pesa financial services platform with Visa's global network of merchants and cards.
- Categories
- Finance
-
China and India Reportedly Have Highest Fintech Adoption Rate, but New VC Funds Mainly Focused on Revenue-Generating Fintechs
Efi Pylarinou, a Fintech and Blockchain Advisor based in Switzerland, notes that funding is “on everybodys’ mind,” which might particularly be true for early-stage startups that have not yet acquired a significant user base.
- Categories
- Finance
-
Fragile Futures for Hidden Workers When Consumers Stop Buying
Now, since the COVID-19 lockdown, the home-based workers in this Meerut community are completely without income. Customers aren’t buying beaded jewelry and garments. Orders have stopped, while finished products sit in warehouses across India, Europe, and the United States.
- Categories
- Coronavirus
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- supply chains
-
Digital Financial Services Could Fast-Track UN SDGs
Change is afoot in Africa as governments work tirelessly to identify their most vulnerable citizens for emergency disbursements. Banks, mobile money operators and Fintech firms are providing innovative solutions to meet their client needs and this may be a significant opportunity for lasting positive change.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- digital finance, fintech, SDGs
-
Women-Focused Fintech Startups Can Now Apply for World’s Women Banking Challenge
World’s Women Banking (WWB), US-based gender inclusiveness investment firm in partnership with Singapore Fintech Festival, recently opened applications for fintech startups focused on women in emerging markets.
- Categories
- Finance
- Tags
- fintech, gender lens, startups
-
Southeast Asia’s Fintech Startups Face Shakeout From Coronavirus
The coronavirus is unlikely to halt the rapid advance of fintech firms in the emerging landscapes of Southeast Asia. Along the way, however, it is amplifying the gains of some startups while inflicting pain on many others.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- South Asia
-
Viewpoint: The Importance Of Payments: How Happy SMEs Make Happy Economies
Some still believe instant payments are a luxury that businesses simply do not need. After all, payments have always taken days or weeks in the past. But if we look back over the past 15 years or so, we can see significant change in the market yet comparatively little change in the payment processes and timescales involved.
- Categories
- Finance
- Tags
- digital payments
Subscribe to Our 'Business in Global Development' Newsletter!
Our new weekly LinkedIn newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with curated news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage of impact-focused business in emerging markets.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.