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India’s microfinance industry showing signs of overheating, again
India’s microfinance industry is showing signs of overheating in a possible reminder of the crisis that hit micro lenders in Andhra Pradesh in 2010. According to Crif High Mark Credit Information Services, a credit bureau, around 1.26 million microfinance borrowers had received top-up loans over and above their existing loan amounts as of December end.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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New Startup Accelerator For Social Entrepreneurs Targeting Climate Change And Water Systems
Social entrepreneurs fighting climate change: There’s a new accelerator that might be for you. Called Climate Ventures 2.0, it’s run by GoodCompany Ventures, a Philadelphia-based social enterprise accelerator, and will accept 10 startups aimed specifically at addressing climate-related threats to agriculture and the resilience of water systems.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
- Region
- North America
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The unbanked: stop catering for the middle classes and open up to the world
Bladimir didn’t want a bank account. The 22-year-old son of corn and bean farmers in rural El Salvador had moved to the capital in search of greater economic opportunity, but a bank account was not part of that plan. He had grown up with stories of scams and disappointments, and had a deep distrust of bank accounts as a safe way to store his money.
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- Uncategorized
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Here are the 10 startups chosen for India’s first ‘Startupbootcamp FinTech’
FinTech is at the forefront of the transformation in the financial industry and is changing the way value and ownership is exchanged, the risk is managed and transactions are performed. While this transformation is taking place across the globe, India's growing economy and large and under-tapped consumer base provide a significant opportunity for innovation in the sector.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Wipro and PATH Announce Partnership to Improve Health in Developing Countries
Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, and PATH, an international nonprofit organization and global leader in health and innovation, focused on improving health care, especially for women and children, today announced a partnership. Wipro and PATH will partner to improve health outcomes in developing countries in Africa and Asia Pacific by collaborating on information and technology systems that accelerate progress on health innovations in low-resource environments.
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- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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5 Reasons Why India’s Aadhaar Journey Since 2014 Is Incredible
Numbers speak. In the case of Aadhaar — India’s biometric-based unique identification scheme for all citizens — the numbers are massive. What started merely as a unique identification programme six and a half years ago graduated to becoming a tool for public service delivery reforms in the second phase and for de-duplication, e-KYC and direct benefit transfer in the third phase. In its latest avatar, Aadhaar is poised to truly change the way Indians have done financial transactions until now.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Indonesia: Bank Central Asia Launches VC Unit, to Invest $15m in Fintech
Indonesia’s largest private bank Bank Central Asia (BCA) has launched a venture capital business unit called Central Capital Ventura (CCV), joining the race to use financial technology (fintech) startups to reach the otherwise “unbanked” markets.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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This Health App Gets Indians Connected With Medical Specialists In Just 30 Minutes
Aiming to tackle the severe shortage of specialist doctors in India, the 27-year olds behind the DocsApp platform promise a consultation with a doctor within 30 minutes of logging on to their app (with a little AI help).
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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