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What makes Senegal’s digital currency different?
Towards the end of last year, a regional bank for francophone west Africa, Banque Régionale de Marchés (BRM), issued a digital currency in Senegal (which it initially dubbed the eCFA but has since decided to rename). It acts similar to other digital currencies and consumers can interact with it across existing payment platforms, such as electronic and mobile wallets.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Government departments lap up digital payment solutions in India
Online payment service providers and mobile wallet companies have recorded a huge surge in queries and sign-ups from various governmental departments across sectors such as education, health and power, in the last two months. The tie-ups come at a time when these departments have been instructed to carry a majority of their transactions through digital modes to eliminate corruption and reduce the dependence on cash.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- fintech
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Aavishkaar-Intellecap Group Raises $25M from Triodos Investment Management and Shell Foundation
Founded in 2002, the Aavishkaar-Intellecap Group has Assets under Management of over USD 400 million with over 2500 team members spread across three continents serving a common vision to improve the lives of several billion people.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
- Tags
- ESG
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FINCA Kosovo Achieves Smart Certification for Client Protection
Today, FINCA Kosovo, the country's largest microfinance organization, announced it received the Client Protection Certification by Smart Campaign. This official recognition required an in-depth, external review of all of FINCA Kosovo's processes and policies. The positive results of this review reflect FINCA's deep commitment to high ethical standards in the treatment of its clients. FINCA Kosovo joins a group of over 60 certified financial institutions, including FINCA Kyrgyzstan, FINCA Azerbaijan and FINCA Bank Georgia.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Europe & Eurasia
- Tags
- microfinance
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World’s Foremost Institute on Death and Disease Metrics Gets Massive Cash Boost
The world’s premier centre for health metrics — the science of measuring and analysing global health problems, and how they relate to healthcare and biomedical research funding — will receive a US$279-million cash injection from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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- Health Care
- Tags
- research
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Four Cautionary Lessons About Education Technology
There is no denying that governments around the world are expanding investments in education technology, from inputs that students use directly (like Kenya’s project to put tablets in schools) to digital resources to improve the education system (like Rio de Janeiro’s school management system). As public and private school systems continue to integrate technology into their classrooms, remember that education technology comes with risks. Michael Trucano, my colleague and the World Bank's resident expert on education technology, highlighted four caveats during a wide-ranging conversation with Stephen Ladek on the Terms of Reference podcast.
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- Education, Technology
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Will demonetization reach C.K. Prahalad’s bottom of the pyramid?
What after demonetization? Can the Modi Government use it to empower the poor and turn the economic initiative into a definitive political initiative? The economists are divided on the issue. The Late Professor C.K. Prahalad the author of the much acclaimed book Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid suggested some pathbreaking methods over a decade back that the economists backing demonetization could take heed off.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
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Uganda: How Technology Is Changing the Face of Banking
A wave of technological innovation has suddenly swept through the Ugandan banking space in recent times. Key developments within the sector have erased memories of dreary days when people had to walk into banking halls, wait in queues to withdraw money, deposit savings or request for a loan. Only people doing complex transactions have kept at this tedious process.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- innovation
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