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Impact investors face US$39bn opportunity in education microfinance
“Education offers extraordinary social returns in the sense that a decent schooling remains the best opportunity for most to escape poverty,” said Nathan Byrd who heads the Opportunity EduFinance program.
- Region
- South Asia
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On Bitcoin, India’s Government And Tech Companies Find Common Ground
Clearly, despite some initial reservations, the Indian government is keen on understanding how Bitcoin works and is willing to deploy resources to build frameworks.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Startups abound, healthcare no longer a distant dream
“With this technology the remote doctors are able to monitor the patients all year, in all seasons. The equipment significantly increases the reach and effectiveness of the hospital,” said Swami Ekdevananda at Advaita Ashrama in Uttarakhand.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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Hike beats WhatsApp to launching messenger app payments in India
Hike, which is introducing version 5.0 today, is starting out with peer-to-peer and bank-to-bank payment options, the former being an in-app wallet that is not dependent on a bank account and the latter a service powered by India’s government-backed UPI payment system. Beyond sending cash to each other, Hike has also introduce a ‘blue packet’ feature that lets users gift digital envelopes of cash for special occasions, such as birthdays.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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The power of a billion: India’s genomics revolution
India is the land of inventors and industry, spices and spirituality - and 1.3 billion human genomes. But although the subcontinent contributes around 20% of the world's population, the DNA sequences of its people make up around 0.2% of global genetic databases.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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Sri Lanka’s first reality show to promote entrepreneurship and impact investment
“Our vision is to build a thriving social enterprise sector in Sri Lanka by 2025. Ath Pavura is a giant step in our journey. The purpose of Ath Pavura is to find and promote social entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka. It’s the best opportunity for entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka to promote their innovative solutions to social and environmental problems on television and inspire many more aspiring future social entrepreneurs,” said Social Enterprise Lanka Founder Eranda Ginige.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- impact investing
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From IIT to UC Berkeley, and Back – All to Make Agriculture More Efficient & Profitable
A job in the social sector is seen as the domain of social workers who sacrifice everything for the greater good. But increasingly, working in the social sector requires a balance between having a “business” mind and a “social” heart. Most social entrepreneurs lead financially secure lives, with the added satisfaction of doing something good and transforming lives. Yet, not many have the courage to take this less taken path.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- agtech
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These Indian Entrepreneurs Upcycle Religious Flowers Into Useful Products
Because the flowers have been used for worship, they’re sacred, and therefore can’t be just sent to landfill, explains Ankit Agarwal, an Indian entrepreneur. Hindu temples often throw the spent flowers into the River Ganges, a venerated waterway. But this just exacerbates the Ganges’s legendary pollution: The flowers are sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals that leach into the environment.
- Categories
- Environment
- Region
- South Asia
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