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Press release: Grant awarded to pilot ‘SHIFT KENYA’, first of its kind model to increase access to finance for healthcare SMEs
“SHIFT is the kind of blended finance solution that gets us excited. Not only does it aim to strengthen local capital markets and get local institutional investors off the sidelines, but if successful, SHIFT has the potential to be expanded and replicated in other sectors and countries outside of healthcare and Kenya,” says Joan Larrea, CEO of Convergence.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Vanguard taps Wellington for first active ESG fund
Vanguard will boost its ESG line-up with the launch of its first actively managed ESG fund, the Vanguard Global ESG Select Stock fund, which will be available for investment in mid-2019.
- Categories
- Investing
- Tags
- ESG, impact investing
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MTN to launch ‘WeChat of Africa’
The app will be launched in MTN markets in West Africa first as part of a “beta-testing” phase. The plan is to introduce it to all the countries in which it operates, including South Africa
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- fintech
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Press release: OurCrowd Partners with Social Finance Israel to Launch Impact Fund Targeting $30M
OurCrowd, a global investment platform and Israel’s leading venture investor, has announced it is partnering with Social Finance Israel, the Israeli impact advisory leader, to launch an Impact Fund focused on venture-backed businesses solving some of the world’s greatest challenges. The fund will invest in companies with demonstrated alignment to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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Press release: 200 Speakers Confirmed for 11th ICT4D Conference 2019
Over 200 speakers from the Government of Uganda, International and Ugandan NGOs, private and civil society organizations have been confirmed for the annual ICT4D Conference, scheduled for April 30 to May 3, 2019 at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Uganda.
- Source
- Press release
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M-Pesa, Western Union and Amazon could potentially disrupt Jumia’s e-commerce business
Three countries — Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa — dominate e-commerce sales. Kenya has a population of 48.5 million and an impressive 79 percent internet penetration. This is because Kenya is home to M-Pesa, the mobile wallet provider started by mobile telecom provider Safaricom. The availability of a secure payment system encourages internet access and online buying.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Omidyar Network spins out its fintech investment arm as Flourish, with up to $300 million
Equipped with up to $300 million in capital for operations and investments, the new Flourish will continue to invest around the Network’s core mission of backing companies with a dual focus on making a social impact and achieving quality financial returns.
- Region
- North America
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Viewpoint: Why investing in women and girls will take off in 2019
Bart Édes of Asian Development Bank writes about the growing body of evidence suggesting that empowering women is critical to boosting global prosperity.
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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