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Accion Venture Lab Completes First Successful Exit in India-Based Lender Varthana, Generating Financial and Social Returns
Accion Venture Lab, the seed-stage investment vehicle of financial inclusion leader Accion, announced today that it has successfully exited an investment for the first time. Venture Lab has sold its stake in Varthana, a company providing specialized loans and support to affordable private schools in India, promoting access to and the quality of education for India's poor and emerging middle class.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Demonetization Seems Like Deflation for Many People in India; Danger Signal for PM Modi
Narendra Modi talked emotionally about his commitment to eliminating black money yesterday (13 November) and sought 50 days to fix the cash crisis created by the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. Actually, he has far less time than that as the ordinary citizen’s patience is wearing thin after hours of standing in the sun before bank branches or ATMs. Modi has a potential PR disaster and political setback to reckon with.
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- Uncategorized
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- South Asia
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M-Wallets Surge in Small Towns in Nation-Wide Cash-Crunch in India
As India outlawed its two biggest banknotes, mobile wallets are witnessing a spurt in enquiries and usage in small towns, as unavailability of currency hit wide across the country.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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- digital payments, fintech
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Demonetization Turns Out to Be a Double Whammy for India’s Microfinance Sector
The demonetisation of high-value currency notes has come as a double whammy for micro finance institutions (MFIs), which have temporarily stopped providing credit to their customers while loan repayments have also taken a major hit, industry sources said.
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- Uncategorized
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- South Asia
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The fresh round of investment by Eight Road Ventures
IFMR Capital, which helps financial institutions serving poor people raise funds, has received $25 million in funding from Eight Roads Ventures, the proprietary investment arm of Fidelity International Ltd. This is Chennai-based IFMR Capital’s second round of institutional funding.
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- Impact Assessment
- Region
- South Asia
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Indian Company Protoprint Transforms Waste into 3D Printing Filament for Commercial Use
This week, we reported on New Zealand-based Waikato University’s revolutionary FDM technology-based 3D printing method that allows anyone to print complex objects by converting waste material into thermoplastic filament, and we’ve seen several initiatives around the world focused on bringing waste material into reuse via 3D printing.
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- Environment, Health Care, Technology
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- South Asia
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India’s microfinance firms scramble to react to government’s ban on high-value currency
Microfinance companies, which work in the grassroot level and handle cash more than any other institutions, are in complete quandary on what strategy they should adopt now as far as accepting high value currency notes goes.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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- microfinance
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Modi’s ‘Masterstroke’ Cash Ban to Boost India Digital Push
Cash may no longer be king in India. The nation’s nascent digital economy stands to be the biggest beneficiary of its strongest crackdown on corruption since 1978.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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