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OPIC, Calvert Foundation to Finance Varthana, Supporting Private Schools in India
In a ceremony held on February 17th in Bangalore, India, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. government’s development finance institution, and Calvert Foundation signed an agreement to finance Varthana, a lending institution that provides loans to affordable private schools in India, particularly those that serve low-income populations.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- impact investing
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Viewpoint: Health-Tech Startups Can Make India a True Innovation Hub
Whenever we talk about disruption in any industry, the existing gaps or snags within the space are the driving force behind it, especially when the gaps have reached a point of deficit. It is only at this stage of extreme deprivation that we see truly innovative solutions emerge. And there are plenty of examples to corroborate this fact. Be it the telecom revolution in India that took place in the late 90’s, led by the then newly formed private telecom sector in the country, or the more recent and still growing “Uber” led disruption for the public transport system in India or even the world. Most industries that have seen transformation at any point have benefited from the lacuna that existed before that particular industry was set on a path of resurrection.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Impact Investing’s New Theme: Themes
Bill and Melinda Gates have long worked to reduce disease and poverty. For Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, education ranks as a top cause. And Michael Bloomberg is battling climate change and gun fatalities. Of course, plenty of room for overlap exists, but you get the point: Not all philanthropists care about the same things.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing
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Low-Cost TB Test for HIV Patients Can Save Thousands of Lives
A low-cost urine test that detects tuberculosis in people living with HIV can save thousands of lives, many of them in sub-Saharan Africa, a Cape Town University researcher said on Wednesday.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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PWC to Liquidate Troubled Microfinance Company DKM’s Assets to Pay Back Depositors in Ghana
PriceWaterhouse Coopers is to liquidate the assets of troubled microfinance company, DKM, to raise money to payback depositors whose monies were locked up with the company, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana said Tuesday.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Venezuela’s Birth Control Crisis
Toilet paper. Diapers. Vitamins. Milk. These are a few of the items Venezuelans can no longer expect to find at their local grocery stores and markets. The scarcity can be traced back to 2014, when oil prices first started to plummet and the economy found itself in dire straits. Venezuela's oil revenue makes up 95 percentof its export earnings, and the slump in oil prices has buried the country in $10 billion of debt.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- Latin America
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Telenor’s newest plans: Dial I for insurance in India
Late last decade, Uninor (a JV between Telenor and Unitech) was among the brash new entrants to Indian telecom, giving larger players sleepless nights. At the vanguard of a price war, Uninor offered rates as low as 29 paise per minute and came up with schemes like unlimited talktime for students at a flat rate of Rs 37 for calls within the network.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Mosquito Eating Fish Used to Fight Zika Virus in Latin America
With the Zika virus spreading toward the United States, threatening pregnant mothers and the 2016 Olympics, aid workers have placed hope in a familiar fish.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- Latin America
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