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IDFC Foundation partners Vasudhara Dairy to bring Financial Inclusion to over 1000 villages
IDFC Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of IDFC Group, has partnered Vasudhara Dairy, to bring financial inclusion to over 1000 unbanked villages in the tribal districts of Gujarat and Maharashtra, using Financial Inclusion Devices or interoperable microATMs.
This initiative will enable thousands of farmers to now access financial services in their villages. Farmers in these unbanked locations are compelled to travel 5-10 kilometers to reach a traditional ATM or bank branch.- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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Telenor Group and Ant Financial in strategic partnership to deliver inclusive financial services in Pakistan
Telenor Group has reached a strategic partnership agreement with Ant Financial Services Group ("Ant Financial") in Pakistan, where Ant Financial will invest USD 184.5m for a 45% stake in Telenor Microfinance Bank ("TMB"), a subsidiary of Telenor Group, to further develop TMB's mobile payment and digital financial services.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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To sell payment services in rural India, MoneyOnMobile borrows a U.S. model
In India, tens of millions of merchants still operate largely in cash with a mostly unbanked rural population. Technology could solve their problems, but the bigger differentiator may be in how payment services are sold.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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GIC-Backed Bandhan Bank’s Indian IPO to Raise Up to $689 Million
Bandhan Bank Ltd., the first Indian microfinance lender to get a banking permit, has set the price range for its initial public offering, which could raise as much as 44.73 billion rupees ($689 million).
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- microfinance
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India’s Little Shops Are a Massive Banking Network in the Making
Indians who still rely on cash are a ready-made financial-services market and a lucrative sideline for the corner store.
- Region
- South Asia
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Why India’s fintech, e-com firms fear Google, Facebook
In the fight between information technology, fintech and e-commerce firms in India and Google and Facebook, the global giants seem to be winning hands down. It is becoming a matter of survival for these sectoral ones, as one-stop solutions such as business listings, travel bookings, money transfers and financial services are available on both platforms and these firms rely on Google and Facebook to promote their services.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- e-commerce, fintech
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Indian e-wallets are gasping for breath
Till now, using an e-wallet involved merely downloading the app, registering one’s mobile phone number, and linking it to one’s bank account. Now, customers also need to complete a more detailed KYC procedure within a year, which involves visiting a company-approved centre and getting documents physically verified. With this additional step, the industry has lost its most important pull-factor: convenience.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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A closer look at impact investing
The mistaken rap on this kind of “social” investment is that returns are weak and realizing them takes too long.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- ESG, impact investing
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