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Viewpoint: What developing countries can teach America about banking
For many, the inability to even get to a physical branch — bank branches are highly concentrated in urban areas — means that they don't have access to banking services at all. As a result, about 6.5% of American households still don't have a bank account, while another 18.7% are "underbanked" — they have an account, but also use check-cashing or payday loans. In all, over 60 million adults are unbanked or "underbanked" in this country.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- North America
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Press release: New Report Shows Creating Financial Access for Immigrants & Underserved Entrepreneurs Increases Credit Scores and Leads to Job Creation
Opportunity Fund research shows microlending to immigrant and underserved entrepreneurs in California creates a path into the mainstream economy for borrowers and leads to job creation and economic activity in communities.
- Source
- Press release
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- North America
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The Pope likes this kind of investing
At the inaugural conference, Pope Francis called for "markets (to) serve the interests of peoples and the common good of humanity."
- Categories
- Investing
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Press release: Nine new projects focused on financial inclusion to receive more than US $9 million
Lindsay Wallace, Director of Strategy and Learning at the Mastercard Foundation, said: “The aim of the FRP has always been to enable smallholder farmers and poor people living in rural Africa to reach their full potential by supporting new private sector initiatives that provide access to financial services. We’re very happy to see this latest round of selected firms, demonstrating the depth and breadth of ideas and action plans that will do just that.”
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Why India lags peers in digital payments
Yet despite this growth, after adjusting for population, India continues to lag other major countries. Among the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), Russia leads the way with the average adult making more than 200 non-cash transactions annually.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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Press release: Clean Energy Works Awarded Grant to Accelerate Electrification of Global Transit
PAYS has received significant traction from governments, development finance institutions, investors and philanthropies worldwide, including endorsement from the members of The Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance in September. Convergence’s funding will allow Clean Energy Works to complete the necessary feasibility work to narrow down the pipeline of cities in Latin America to a candidate city for a first implementation project.
- Region
- Latin America
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USAID and Musoni Microfinance sign $8 million loan guarantee agreement to boost Kenya’s agricultural sector
Small scale farmers, individuals, associations, cooperatives and micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Kenya will be the key beneficiaries of this guarantee.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Mauritius-based startup works on first Africa-developed blockchain
A Mauritius-based startup is working on the first highly-efficient mobile blockchain developed in Africa, which it says is set to see large-scale consumer adoption by 2021.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- blockchain, fintech, startups
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