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World’s First Social Sustainability Bond Listed on a Stock Exchange
The US$8 million bond provides loans to social enterprises and microfinance institutions, which, in turn, aim to help more than 385,000 women in Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Renewable energy firm feted for providing solar-powered ‘sari-sari’ stores in nation’s rural areas
The company, a winner of the Impact Hub Fellowship (Incubation) program in April, helps and trains communities with limited resources of potable and viable water via solar-power pumps, precipitation devices and rainwater harvest.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- renewable energy, solar
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Smartphones: Under pressure from Chinese companies, Panasonic to exit low-end phones segment
Japan's Panasonic Corp, about a century-old powerhouse in consumer electronics, wouldn't sell feature-and entry-level smartphones in India any longer because of the intense competition from Chinese brands. In a strategy overhaul, Panasonic would also bring the distribution responsibility in-house, and pare down the market-share targets to about 5% in two years from initial projections running into two digits.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Thailand’s Largest Bank Launches $30 Million FinTech Fund ‘Beacon’
As Thailand’s largest bank by revenue, Kasikorn’s foray to back and invest in FinTech startups underlines the growing appetite for digital banking in the country. Between April and September 2016, the Bank of Thailand – the country’s central bank – revealed a marked 26% uptick in commercial mobile and internet banking transactions.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- fintech
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Asia catches the sustainable investment bug… at last
Asia ex-Japan has been a latecomer to the trend, accounting for just 0.2% of global socially responsible investment (SRI) assets. SRI assets in the region still increased 15.7% from 2014 though and investors are counting on a lot more to come.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- impact investing
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Naspers pours $5M into Coins, a fintech startup for Southeast Asia’s unbanked population
Coins is focused on offering financial services for the unbanked in the Philippines and Thailand. It uses the blockchain as its underlying technology to facilitate transfers and remittances. It announced the new funding — which comes via the Naspers Ventures division — as an extension to the $5 million Series A round that it closed last October.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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Mobile money flourishing in Myanmar
Young migrant workers throughout the country use mobile money to make remittances to families back home. In Myanmar, only 20% of the population has a bank account. Thus, unbanked people often just carry stacks of cash when returning home.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- remittances
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Annie Ryu’s Blueprint for a Non-Exploitative Global Supply Chain
Ryu saw an opportunity, but, true to form, it wasn't one that would serve just her, and she founded her company in 2011 with the goal of creating a sustainable supply chain. Today, she partners with more than 350 farming families and supplies 2,000 retailers.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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