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Filling Critical Gaps, a Foundation Looks to Realize the Promise of Opportunity Zones
In March, Kresge committed $22 million of that to backing two established fund managers—Boston-based Arctaris and Ft. Lauderdale-based Community Capital Management (CCM)—to anchor their Opportunity Zone Funds. Together, the fund managers are expecting to raise and deploy more than $800 million in zones nationally.
- Categories
- Investing
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Microfinance Is Driving Many Sri Lankan Borrowers to Despair
Nalani Wickremesinghe, from Baduraliya in the south, has taken loans from 11 companies, only two of which are registered with the central bank. Struggling to feed her family, she has little option but to borrow again.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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Survey: Cash Payment Still ‘King’ in Kenya, Despite Digital Money Growth
According to the report, just under half of domestic remittances and 30 per cent of bill payments are now made via mobile money.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Viewpoint: For Facebook’s Cryptocurrency, the Well May Already Be Poisoned
Facebook's new Libra coin is asset-backed and runs on a restricted network, which could make it as stable as a major currency — setting it apart from other, much more volatile cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
- Categories
- Finance
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Press Release: Pan-African Micro-Utility PowerGen Acquires Rafiki Power (E.ON Off-Grid Solutions) From E.ON
The combination of two market-leading micro-grid companies reflects growing momentum in the sector.
- Source
- Press release
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Apollo Jumps Into Impact Investing With Plan to Raise $1 Billion
Alternative asset managers are starting funds devoted to meeting environmental, social and governance targets as they seek to gather a steady stream of fees and diversify offerings for investors as demand grows.
- Categories
- Investing
- Tags
- impact investing
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Rhino Bonds: Can Big Finance Really Save Big Beasts?
Since the 1970s, the population of black rhinos, primarily found in South Africa, has plummeted from 65,000 to just 5,500 due to poaching driven by demand from China and Vietnam for rhino horn.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing
- Tags
- ESG, impact investing
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Press Release: Grant Awarded to Establish Aceli Africa, a Data-Driven Financing Facility to Unlock Capital for Agricultural SMEs
According to the World Bank, agricultural growth in Africa is significantly more effective at reducing poverty than growth in other economic sectors. Agricultural SMEs, including farmer cooperatives and food processors, improve livelihoods by aggregating and linking smallholder farmers to markets and generating employment for low-skill workers, particularly women and youth.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- blended finance
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