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Viewpoint: “Social Responsibility” in Investments is Open to Interpretation
Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker has a fascinating idea: People get nicer over time.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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10 New Mobile Wallet Remittance Services Launched Throughout Africa and Asia-Pacific
HomeSend and Azimo today announced the launch of new mobile wallet services in ten countries throughout Africa and Asia-Pacific – reaching millions of mobile money subscribers. Azimo customers in 20 European countries are now be able to send funds to mobile money accounts of loved ones in Armenia, Burkina Faso, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, the Philippines and Somaliland.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Tags
- remittances
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Are Pharma Giants Living Up to Big Promises on Development?
he pharmaceutical industry plays a fundamental role in achieving international development targets. This was recognised in the millennium development goals (MDGs), which explicitly mention that providing access to affordable essential drugs in low- and middle-income countries has to be achieved “in cooperation with pharmaceutical companies”. Yet efforts to track progress towards the MDGs have focused mainly on government action rather than corporate contributions.
- Categories
- Health Care
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Mozido Expands Into Africa With NettCash Acquisition
The Austin-based cloud platform mobile payments and retail engagement solutions provider announced today (July 21) that it acquired majority ownership of Zimbabwe mobile wallet company NettCash, further establishing Mozido’s foothold in Africa.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- digital payments
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Viewpoint: The Emperor Has No (Green) Clothes
A shiny new object is popping up in impact investment portfolios everywhere – behold, the green bond. A corporate or municipal fixed income instrument offering both market returns AND positive environmental impact, green bonds have emerged over the past six months as a significant area of new issuance. Corporations are issuing carve-out bonds whose proceeds go to infrastructure retrofits, while munis are hopping on the green bandwagon with bonds targeting a wide range of applications, from “clean and green” to affordable housing and school construction.
- Categories
- Environment
- Tags
- impact investing
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Viewpoint: India Must Keep Patent Laws for Manufacture of Cheap Generic Drugs
Recently, trade ministers from 10 Asean countries, India, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea gathered to negotiate a deal on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement. But, RCEP negotiations on intellectual property (IP) are at a standstill because India and the Asean countries are unwilling to trade away health by adopting IP provisions that go beyond what is required of them under international trade rules.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- public policy
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Financing Agribusinesses in Africa: Mobile Money Shows More Viability
As a result of mobile money financing schemes, farming businesses, most of which are in rural areas in Africa are able to enjoy agritrade financing in form of loans, subsidies and free inputs facilitated mainly through phones. The main advantage of mobile money financing for agriculture is the elimination of cash handling by other individuals during the transfer of the money from the financing individual/organisation to the farmer or agribusiness operator. This reduces or eliminates corruption, outright theft or violence that could result when individuals have to carry cash around.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Kiva Co-founder on the Future of Microfinance
Jessica Jackley has had her hands full since stepping away from Kiva, the peer-to-peer microlender she co-founded in 2005. Between investing in startups through the Collaborative Fund; launching ProFounder, a crowdfunding site for entrepreneurs and small businesses; and consulting with companies to improve their social impact, the popular TED talker has also managed to give birth to three children. And she has a new book, Clay Water Brick: Finding Inspiration From Entrepreneurs Who Do the Most with the Least.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Tags
- crowdfunding, microfinance
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