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MTN Takes on Vodacom to Become Africa’s Biggest Digital Bank
Already the continent’s biggest mobile-phone company by subscribers, Johannesburg-based MTN is adding about 500,000 active banking customers a month, Chief Executive Officer Rob Shuter, 50, said on Wednesday. About 20 million people use MTN’s mobile banking now, he said in an interview at Bloomberg’s office in the South African city.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- fintech
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UN Considering Reforms to Deliver the SDGs
As Member States and civil society begin the process of evaluating the implications of the Secretary-General’s report, this policy brief seeks to enhance the level of understanding and engagement in the debate through a review of the assessment of the UN development system undertaken by external experts and the Secretary-General’s related reform proposals.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Tags
- global development, SDGs
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Press release: Bamboo Capital Partners and Persistent Energy Capital enter strategic partnership to fuel the future of off-grid energy in emerging markets
Bamboo Capital Partners (“Bamboo”), an impact investment private equity firm delivering social and financial value, has entered a strategic partnership with Persistent Energy Capital (“Persistent”), an investor in and builder of start-up and early stage enterprises in the off-grid energy sector in emerging and frontier markets.
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4 Signs to Watch at COP23
This year’s wave of climate-related natural disasters – hurricanes, floods and wildfires in developed and developing countries alike – drives home the urgency to move full speed ahead at the 23rd Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, known informally as COP23.
- Categories
- Environment
- Tags
- climate change
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Demonetization’s impact on domestic remittances
Trends in domestic remittances before and after demonetization would provide an insight into the impact of the policy on incomes, liquidity, as well as choice of digital channels by members of the informal sector. Such data is, naturally, not yet available. However, there is a fascinating category of firms whose experience during this period can provide important perspectives.
- Region
- South Asia
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Centrum Capital to acquire FirstRand Bank’s microfinance business in India
As part of starting up, Centrum Capital has executed a definitive agreement to acquire the Indian microfinance business of South Africa-based FirstRand Bank, which currently has around 70,000 customers in the Maharashtra region and employs over 300 people. This is the second lending business the firm has recently entered, following its entry into affordable housing finance at the end of last year.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- lending, microfinance
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Shell and FMO to finance impact projects in Africa and India
The parties have signed a memorandum of understanding, agreeing to co-fund and co-create project opportunities in the energy access and clean energy sectors in the two regions, including investment in financial institutions with specific goals to increase access to finance, reduce inequality and promote green financing and agribusiness.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Investing
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Press release: Aisling Capital Closes $280 Million Fund to Improve Global Health
Aisling Capital will assist companies developing therapeutics to complete their clinical studies, navigate approval and ultimately reach commercialization. Portfolio companies gain access to Aisling Capital's strategic counsel and deep experience in both financial and medical fields, along with its unmatched network that extends from regulatory organizations to leading pharmaceutical companies and financial institutions.
- Categories
- Health Care, Investing
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