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MetLife Foundation and ‘The Financial Inclusion Challenge’ Seek Best Solutions for Financial Access Across Asia
MetLife Foundation announced today its exclusive sponsorship of the second year of The Financial Inclusion Challenge. The Challenge, sponsored by MetLife Foundation and managed by The Wall Street Journal, is a competition encouraging nonprofit and for-profit organizations to showcase programs that provide innovative, sustainable solutions for individuals and families struggling to be part of the financial mainstream. Winners will be recognized at an awards dinner in Hong Kong later this year.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Getting to The Heart of Impact Investment in India
More and more people are becoming familiar with the related concepts of impact investing and social entrepreneurship. These ideas are commanding increasing attention in business, academia and government, and also among the public at large, with hundreds of articles and dozens of research studies. MBA graduates want to get in on a piece of the action. Billions of dollars have been flowing in, away from traditional NGOs, to this new model of socio-economic development that harnesses market forces. And some political leaders are also taking note, in emerging markets like India as well as developed countries like the UK and US.
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- Environment
- Region
- South Asia
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The Developing World Faces a Silent Killer. Could a $1 Solar Light Help?
Every day at around 6pm, 40 families living in a remote corner of Andhra Pradesh in southeast India – a 6km walk from the nearest road – would be swallowed by darkness. With no access to electricity, sunset was a non-negotiable curfew – going outside was dangerous, people couldn’t cook and children were unable to do their homework.
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- Energy
- Region
- South Asia
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DriveU Raises $1 Million From Unitus Seed Fund, Silicon Valley Angel Investors
At a time when ride hailing services such as Ola and Uber are rolling out offers to dissuade consumers from using personal vehicles, DriveU, an on-demand driver provider launched by an early backer of TaxiForSure, has raised about $1 million from Unitus Seed Fund and undisclosed angel investors from the Silicon Valley, said co-founder and chief executive Rahm Shastry.
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- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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The Citi Foundation Helps India Prepare to Be World’s Youngest Population By 2020
Last year, Prime Minister Modi of India launched an ambitious project that aims to train over 400 million young people in different skills by 2022. The initiative is called ‘Skill India’, with the tagline - 'Kaushal Bharat, Kushal Bharat', which means ‘Skilled India, Successful India.’ Today, every third person in an Indian city is a youth. In about four years, the average-aged person will be 29 years old and very likely a city-dweller, making India the youngest country in the world by then. India is set to experience a dynamic transformation as the population burden of the past turns into a demographic dividend, but the benefits will be tempered with social and regional inequalities.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Over 70% of Accounts Opened Under India’s Jan Dhan Financial Inclusion Drive Are Now Active
More than seven out of every 10 bank accounts opened for the unbanked, mainly for direct transfer of benefits, are seeing transactions, data showed.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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A future where ‘social’ is taken for granted
On average, stocks in India have plunged roughly 10 percent since the beginning of the year, but shares of the hospital chain Narayana Hrudayalaya have been trading at more than 10 percent higher than its public offering price.
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- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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Google India report: Mobile growth shaping India’s internet usage
Google India has put out a report which captures the incredible pace of Internet growth that India is witnessing.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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- research
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