-
Microfinance Rescues People at the Bottom
A top banker called on the commercial banks to downscale to the ’Bottom of the Pyramid’ for sustainable economic development ? sustenance of the poor and stressed the great importance of banking with the poor.The plea was made by Chandula Abeywickrema, Deputy General Manager, Banking and Network Management, HNB during a presentation at the recently held Annual Convention of the Association of Professional Bankers, Sri Lanka. He said Commercial Banks can successfully down scale...
-
How Safaricom Gives Voice to Africa
To Michael Joseph?s frustration, his customers keep flashing. At all times of the day. For no more than a second but long enough to catch each other?s attention. In Kenya, where his company Safaricom is the dominant mobile phone operator, it has nothing to do with indecent exposure. To flash is to call a mobile and hang up before the call is answered, a cost-free way of letting the owner know you want to be called back. People do it because they are low on pre-paid credit, or because ...
-
Profit Motive
Asset managers are trying to take environmental and social issues into consideration when selecting companies to invest in. Mutual fund managers were originally bound by law in the US and in Europe to invest in what will bring the highest return. However, as consumer consciousness started changing, mutual funds have been pushed to review their priorities. In 2000, the UK government introduced a law requiring pension funds to disclose how they incorporate social responsibility aspects ...
-
Small Fish, Big Catch
Unreached.’ ’Unbanked.’ ’Unelectrified.’ ’Unserved.’ These are the new keywords for business leaders, who are working overtime to tap into the poor consumer market in a win-win deal for businesses as well as the poor. It was recognised recently yet again when Al Gore conferred a Green Oscar (Ashden Award) on Selco India for demonstrating that it is possible to run a renewable energy business, which is both a striking commercial success, and which lift...
-
India Must Take Innovation to the Poor: World Bank
According to a World Bank report, India must focus on its higher education system to handle the manpower crunch the country would face in the future. New Delhi: India is increasingly becoming a top global innovator for high-tech products and services, but it can do much more to reach its full innovation potential, especially by bringing the benefits of innovation to the poor, says a World Bank report. Although the country is emerging as a top global innovator in sectors like biotechnolo...
-
ABN AMRO Microfinance Crosses 5 Lacs Mark
ABN AMRO Bank India today announced that its Microfinance division has succeeded in providing basic financial support to over five lac underprivileged households in India. The total ABN AMRO Microfinance loan portfolio has seen tremendous growth, crossing Rs 200 crores in a short time span of four years. Initiated in September 2003, these services have provided financial aid to more than 540,000 households while maintaining a nil non performing asset portfolio till date. ...
-
Strategic Innovation at the Base of the Pyramid
Brazil?s poorest households have an annual total income of around $73 billion per annum; China?s have an annual income of about $691 billion; and India?s have an income of about $378 billion. However, even though there has been a burst of interest in recent years in how economic growth is unfolding in the developing world, most of the research is still focused on how growth occurs in developed markets. Strategic innovation in developing markets is fundamentally different from what occurs in deve...
-
NComputing Named Winner of Prestigious Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award
NComputing, the leading provider of virtual PC solutions, today announced that it has won the coveted Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award for the most innovative new solution in computing systems. NComputing’s virtual PC technology is gaining rapid adoption worldwide because it dramatically lowers the cost of PC computing while reducing energy consumption by 90%. Past winners have included IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Fujitsu, and Sun Microsystems. REDWOOD CITY, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 1...
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter, "NextBillion Notes"
Published each Wednesday, our e-newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with a selection of news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage — and regular conference ticket giveaways.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.