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Safaricom ? 56% Growth in M-PESA Revenue
Last week, Safaricom announced its annual results [1] . It has confirmed an increased turnover (+12.9% to Ksh. 94.83bn). However, after several years of sustained growth, Safaricom experienced a 12.4% drop in profits before tax due to increased competition. Nevertheless, a more interesting figure to highlight is the 56% growth in M-PESA revenue for the year 2011. With almost 14 mil...
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Microfinance for Water and Sanitation: Lofty Dream or Wave of the Future?
The microfinance sector is certainly not short of innovative thinkers, who should be applauded for their determination to use microfinance as a diverse tool that can do more than just increase a household’s income. The latest craze in the creative use of microfinance as a generator of positive externalities is the use of microcredit for the provision of clean water. The idea is to provide individuals and households in the developing world with microcredit services that would a...
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LeapFrog to Invest up to $40 Million in India
MUMBAI --LeapFrog Investments, a $135 million fund focused on micro-insurance, is looking to deploy as much as $40 million in India. "India presents an opportunity as the level of penetration of insurance is very low," said Jim Roth, the company’s co-founder and partner. In other markets, insurance is for the wealthy, whereas in India there is insurance that focuses on the mass market, he said, adding that LeapFrog will invest between $5 million and $20 million in a company. M...
- Region
- South Asia
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Major Microlaboratory Against Poverty
RIO DE JANEIRO, May 31, 2011 (IPS) - Microcredit in Brazil still has huge potential for expansion, even though microloans have already grown much more than traditional credit in the last eight years. Microcredit has formed a successful part of anti-poverty programmes since left-wing former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in January 2003 and immediately launched the National Productive Microcredit Programme, targeting low-income households. ...
- Region
- Latin America
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Ashoka, Bamboo Finance, Canopus Fdn. Launch Solar Energy Fund
Press Release: Three of the world’s leading organisations supporting social enterprise for development today announced that they are forming a partnership to launch the ’Oasis Energy - Solar for All Fund’, which will invest in companies bringing affordable solar power to markets that are without access to electricity. Ashoka , the world’s largest network of social entrepreneurs, and the Canopus Foundation , whi...
- Source
- Press Release
- Categories
- Uncategorized
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The Path From Charity to Profit
By Tina Rosenberg On Tuesday I wrote about Kedai Balitaku , a for-profit company started last year by the development group Mercy Corps in Indonesia. Mercy Corps took...
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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AFDB Approves Financing for Nigerian SMEs
The African Development Bank has approved a total of $700 million worth of loan programs to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Nigeria. Of the sum, $500 million will be channeled through Nigeria’s Bank of Industry and will be available for domestic-oriented SMEs in the African country. ...
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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MIT, GU Research: Economic, Policy Concerns Loom for Mobile Money
CHICAGO, May 23, 2011 -- /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Many developing countries are rapidly adopting cellphone technology as a means for delivering financial services to their citizens without a heavy investment in infrastructure. Now, a team of researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and&...
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