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Indonesia’s KoinWorks Raises $12 Million to Grow Its P2P SME Lending Platform
SMEs have historically struggled with securing loan and other financial services from banks — creating a big opportunity for middlemen lending platforms. KoinWorks operates an online platform that uses machine learning to provide low interest loans to these small and medium sized enterprises.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- startups
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How Amazon and Google Are Helping Western Union Fight the Multibillion-Dollar Fintech Threat
The 168-year-old Western Union is the leader in international money transfers, generating revenue of $5.5 billion in 2018 and doing business with Amazon and Google.
- Categories
- Finance
- Tags
- fintech, remittances
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Among India’s Working Poor, Sobriety May Boost Savings
Economist’s study of rickshaw drivers shows effects of alcohol consumption on financial decision-making.
- Categories
- Finance, Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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MetLife Plans To Disrupt $2.7 Trillion Life Insurance Industry Using Ethereum Blockchain
If successful, this program has the potential to transform the insurance industry as a whole, creating new markets, products, and the ability to serve a more diverse set of customers at lower price points.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Tags
- blockchain, insurance
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Green Bond Milestone: Global Issuance Surpasses $100bn in First Half of 2019
The $100bn mark was first reached in November 2017 during the COP23 climate summit, and then again in September 2018. Now the milestone has been reached during the first half of the year for the first time.
- Categories
- Environment, Finance
- Tags
- climate change
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What Counts as a “Green” Investment, Anyway?
To plug the gap, “sustainable investing” is spreading from a niche area of the financial sector into the mainstream. Investing along environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria is one of the fastest-growing strategies in finance.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing
- Region
- Europe & Eurasia
- Tags
- ESG, greenwashing, impact investing
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Viewpoint: Facebook’s Libra Cryptocurrency Could Be Great, if Not for Facebook
Libra is the evolution of that early goal, now with grander ambitions. Facebook wants to completely reshape how people make online payments. By detaching from currencies like the U.S. dollar, Libra could bring instant, low-cost digital payments and transfers to anyone with a phone
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Will Values-Based Investing Ever Take Off?
“ESG is so hard to define—people can’t even articulate what they’re trying to achieve,” says Joshua Miller, an investment strategist and estate planner with CIBC Private Wealth Management. At a presentation for clients in February, he says, investors saw data showing that companies scoring highly on ESG criteria tend to outperform. “I didn’t find anyone saying it’s bunk,” he says. “But a lot of people said, ‘We need more convincing.’ ”
- Categories
- Investing
- Tags
- ESG, impact investing
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