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IFC to Lend $150M to Shriram Transport Finance
International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector lending arm of the World Bank, has agreed to invest $150 million in Shriram Transport Finance Company Ltd (STFCL) in the form of senior debt to help the firm provide more finance to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- lending
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Over 60 Financial Giants Line Up to Partner With India Post
The vast legacy network of India Post, once perceived to be unwanted baggage and a huge financial burden, is turning out to be its biggest strength. Top global financial firms Barclays, Citibank, Deutsche Bank, Western Union, Visa and domestic giants State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank are among over five dozen companies that have queued up to partner with the payments bank arm of the country's postal department.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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The Changing Pattern of Healthcare in India
The evolution of healthcare in India over the past 25 years has been a mixed bag. While key health metrics such as the infant mortality rate (IMR) and maternal mortality ratio (MMR) have come down substantially, healthcare expenses have shot up—a direct fallout of lower public health spending. The government’s allocation to healthcare as a percentage of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) has fallen to 1.05% in 2015-16 from 1.47% in 1986-87.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- public health
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Indian Microfinance Self-Regulator Acts to Ward Off Danger of Over-Indebtedness Crisis
The Andhra Pradesh microfinance crisis that put the entire sector on the verge of collapse is still fresh in everybody's mind and MFIN is no exception. Before the crisis, the sector was known for 100% growth year after year while borrowers took loans beyond their capacity to repay leading to the undoing of many of the leading micro lenders.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- lending, microfinance
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Google Search Now Provides Access to Basic Healthcare Information in India
Google’s latest move in India may help increase access to healthcare information among millions of people. The company added healthcare information to its knowledge graph in the U.S. last year, to help people easily find quick information in response to symptoms or concerns via its search engine, and now the feature is headed east to India.
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- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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Here’s Why Tobacco Companies Have Shut All Their Factories
FMCG major ITC on Saturday said it is not ready to print larger pictorial warnings on its cigarette packs, as required under a new government norm, and its factories will be shut till clarity emerges on the matter. Since Friday, under a new government notification, tobacco products are required to carry larger pictorial warnings covering 85 per cent of the display area on packets.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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This Isn’t China: The “Amazon of India” Will Be Amazon and “Uber of India” Will Be Uber
I was at a conference the other day, speaking on a panel with VCs and angels, when we were asked a question: With the softening of valuations and the famous Flipkart markdown, is there still a large internet opportunity in India?
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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Viewpoint: Social Entrepreneurship by the Billions
An audacious effort to provide digital ID numbers throughout India illustrates the potential for large-scale change.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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