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Tech Startups Are Flooding Kenya With Apps Offering High-Interest Loans
Tala has made $1 billion in microloans to people in developing countries, all using its app. It says it can reach those who’ve been ignored by banks, because its software generates instant credit ratings from data scraped off prospective borrowers’ phones. The company is part of the financial-inclusion movement, a loose coalition of tech companies, banks, and nongovernmental organizations trying to lift people out of poverty by offering them new ways to gain access to loans and other financial services.
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- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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New Technologies Have Historically Led to Increased Inequality—Not Anymore
New developments can be an amazing social equaliser: 3D printing is democratising manufacturing, while mobile banking provides easy access to banking services and increases the earning power of small businesses. But access to technology often dictates what opportunities are available.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Trump’s Latest “Visa Ban” Poses a Threat—and an Opportunity—to Nigeria’s Tech Ecosystem
While Nigeria is not the only country affected by the “ban”, it is, by far, the most high profile country affected by what the Trump administration describes as a penalty for unsatisfactory security and information sharing standards.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- public policy
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Paymob, Tamweely Team up to Empower Female Entrepreneurs
The #AcceptTheChange campaign will initially aim to empower 250 female merchants (and their female clients) by availing e-payment solutions that will allow the selected entrepreneurs to further benefit from a booming digital economy in Egypt.
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- Finance, Technology
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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Facebook Libra’s Promise of Financial Inclusion ‘Doesn’t Sound Right,’ Says Mastercard CEO
The CEO of Mastercard has revealed why the company pulled out of Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency project, saying he “doesn’t understand how it works”.
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- Finance, Technology
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Press Release: Microsoft Launches New AI for Good Program, AI for Health, to Accelerate Global Health Initiatives
The talent and resources required to equip health researchers with tools to deploy AI and data science is unevenly distributed. Less than 5% of the world's AI professionals today work in health and nonprofit organizations. It is crucial to provide these mission-driven researchers with the tools they need to accelerate and expand their work.
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- Health Care, Technology
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Viewpoint: The Power of AI in Emerging Markets
Artificial intelligence is forecast to contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, delivering socioeconomic value to all sections of society over the coming years. And a substantial share of this total will accrue to emerging economies.
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- Technology
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Samasource CEO Leila Janah passes away at 37
Leila Janah, a serial entrepreneur who was the CEO and founder of machine learning training data company Samasource, passed away at the age of 37 due to complications from Epithelioid Sarcoma, a form of cancer, according to a statement from the company. She focused her career on social and ethical entrepreneurship with the goal of ending global poverty, founding three distinct organizations over her career spanning the for-profit and non-profit worlds.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- nonprofits