-
New GSMA Study Projects Almost One Billion Mobile Subscribers India 2020
India is expected to see a significant uptake in mobile subscriptions, broadband and connectivity by 2020, marking a period of rapid development of the country’s mobile economy, according to a new GSMA Intelligence study published today. The new report, ‘The Mobile Economy: India 2016’, noted that at the end of June 2016, 616 million unique users had subscribed to mobile services in India, making it the second-largest mobile market globally, with almost one billion unique mobile subscribers1expected by 2020. India also overtook the United States in 2016 to become the world’s second-largest smartphone market with an installed base of 275 million devices.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- fintech
-
Payday Loans Emerging As Nascent Market in India
Payday loans are decried a scourge, a menace and our dubbed "loan sharks" in the US and UK. With very high interest rates of 45%-50%, payday loans are given in advance of the next pay cheque and cater to blue collar workers, who are paid on a weekly basis. In India, payday loans are at a nascent stage and just taking off with a host of startups like RupeeLend, MoneyinMinutes, QuickCredit, Money4You.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- lending
-
A New Health Care Project Won Awards. But Did It Really Work?
The program seemed like a fantastic idea at first, says Manoj Mohanan, an assistant professor of public policy and economics at Duke University.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
-
More Women Are Financially Included in India Than Ever Before
India’s Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) programme has brought more individuals into the formal financial fold than any other inclusion-related intervention attempted to date. The level of financial inclusion among Indian adults increased by 20% between 2014 and 2015, an unparalleled rate of growth across the eight countries tracked by InterMedia’s Financial Inclusion Insights (FII) research programme.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
-
Sun Pharma Partners ICGEB to Develop Safer, Cheaper Dengue Vaccine
Drugmaker Sun PharmaBSE 0.01 % has partnered with International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) to develop a dengue vaccine which, it said, would be safer, effective and more affordable than the existing vaccine and other candidates being developed.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- vaccines
-
Merck Merges Pharma, Consumer Health Units; Aims to Ramp Up Businesses
German drug maker MerckBSE 5.34 % has merged its pharmaceuticals and consumer healthcare businesses as part of a major makeover unique to India aimed at building scale and ramping up local business with a hybrid model.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
-
How Does India Fare in Access to Banking?
Financial inclusion may have become a buzzword among India’s econocrats and central bankers but India continues to lag behind most major economies when it comes to access to banking, the results of the Financial Access Survey for 2016 released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) shows.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
-
Research: A Sustainable Model for Delivering High-Quality, Efficient Cataract Surgery in Southern India
Cataracts are a leading cause of reversible blindness in India, where millions of people can be effectively treated for this condition with surgery. The Aravind Eye Care System in southern India developed an efficient system for delivering high-quality and low-cost cataract surgery. We provide a detailed accounting of costs of cataract surgery at the system and a cost-utility analysis. Total costs per operation were US$120, or $195 per quality-adjusted life-year gained. Using these data and population-based estimates of cataract prevalence, we calculate that eliminating cataract-related blindness and low vision in India would cost $2.6 billion and would yield a net societal benefit of $13.5 billion. Factors contributing to the highly cost-effective care at the Aravind Eye Care System include the domestic manufacturing of supplies, the use of a specialized workforce and standardized protocols, and the presence of few regulatory hurdles. Lessons learned from the system can help improve the delivery of cataract surgery and other ambulatory care surgeries in India and abroad.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter, "NextBillion Notes"
Published each Wednesday, our e-newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with a selection of news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage — and regular conference ticket giveaways.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.