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World Bank report highlights role of Agent Banking in Malaysia’s successful financial inclusion push
Malaysia has achieved one of the highest levels of financial inclusion among middle-income countries. According to data from the central bank, 92% of the adult population in Malaysia had a bank account in 2015, the second highest rate in ASEAN after Singapore.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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How Digitizing Agricultural Input Payments in Rural Kenya is Tackling Poverty: The Case of One Acre Fund
Since 2014, OAF has enabled farmers in Kenya to make loan repayments digitally using the mobile money service M-Pesa instead of in cash, increasing economic opportunity and financial inclusion in some of the world’s poorest farming communities.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Digital Toolkit to Give Tanzania Smallholder Farmers Access to Finance, Farm Supplies and Training
The digital toolkit will allow farmers to gradually pre-pay for the inputs they need via mobile money, at discounted prices. It will also provide them with a customized inputs package based on their crop and production goals, and deliver mobile-phone based farming advice to ensure the best use of those inputs.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Viewpoint: Think Twice About Going Cashless
Even now, after the chaos caused by India's decision last November to eliminate nearly 90 percent of its banknotes, few people would argue with the policy's underlying assumption: Going cashless is, if handled well, a good thing. Yet the fact is, most arguments in favor of demonetization don't stand up to scrutiny. And those that do should raise other concerns.
- Categories
- Technology
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Investing in the New Industrial (R)evolution: Insights for asset owners and managers financing the circular economy
Investing in the New Industrial (R)evolution: Insights for asset owners and managers financing the circular economy details examples of a diverse set of investors and corporations that are beginning to incorporate global issues related to the health, food, and energy systems, as well as others, into their investment and production design processes, respectively.
- Categories
- Investing
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‘Climate change is real’: CEOs share their disappointment over Trump’s Paris accord exit
After threatening Wednesday to leave if Trump made the exit, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted Thursday afternoon that he was "departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world." Disney CEO Robert Iger followed him, calling his departure from the president's advisory council a matter of "principle."
- Categories
- Environment
- Tags
- climate change
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Philippines government’s microfinance facility goes nationwide
With sufficient funds to provide to borrowers, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and its micro-financing arm Small Business Corporation (SB Corp) will lead the implementation that will assist micro entrepreneurs financially and enable them to grow their businesses.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- governance, microfinance
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State Bank of Pakistan approves launch of the country’s first free mobile wallet service
Mobile payment app SimSim became Pakistan’s first free mobile wallet service after the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) approved the official launch of the service – a move the company said would boost financial inclusion in the country.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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