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Blog Post
Nigeria leads all other emerging economies with 21 licensed mobile money operators. But high levels of unbanked and underbanked citizens have led to poor adoption rates for digital financial services. The Sustainable and Inclusive Digital Financial Services (SIDFS) initiative of the Lagos Business School has been studying ways to improve customer access and product development. In recently published research, Olayinka David-West and Ubukun Taiwo, both of LBS, reveal six policy recommendations for regulators that could help DFS to thrive in Nigeria.
Failure to Thrive: Nigeria’s Digital Financial Services Industry is Struggling – Can These Policy Solutions Help?News
A report co-authored by University of Kansas researchers shows that a majority of American banks are failing to offer safe and affordable checking accounts, missing industry standards and shutting some out of the financial mainstream.
Study shows most American banks fail to offer safe, affordable checkingNews
There are countless ways that distressed communities in the US differ from the remote areas where my organization, Root Capital, operates. But they have at least this in common: They have an acute need for investment. And we need more gatekeepers of capital to take up that challenge.
What Happens When You Invest In Entrepreneurship At The MarginsNews
Hailed as a potential game changer, ImpactUs fell apart eight months after opening even though the impact-investing intermediary had the backing of the MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Open Road Alliance, Enterprise Community Partners, and City First Enterprises. Another firm is picking up the pieces, so it may not be a total loss, but why did the initial effort flame out so quickly? Here, John MacIntosh advances some tenets for nonprofits to follow to give their venture activities a greater chance of success.
Viewpoint: Nonprofit Earned-Income Ventures Aren’t Rockets: Another Launchpad FailureBlog Post
In 2016, some US$18 trillion changed hands via non-bank digital payment transactions in China – a value larger than its GDP. Meanwhile, though its population is roughly the same, India's digital finance industry has lagged far behind. But thanks to new digital infrastructure and evolving regulations, this situation is changing fast. Like the tortoise in Aesop’s fable, will India catch up with China, which has bounded ahead at hare-like speed? David Porteous at the Digital Frontiers Institute explores the two countries' approaches and their implications for other emerging markets.
The Tortoise and the Hare: India and China Put Different Paths to Digital Finance to the Test
News
At the outset of the One Planet Summit in Paris last December, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres outlined many of the grave challenges posed by climate change. Then the world’s top diplomat offered what was, coming from him, an unexpected solution, one that wasn’t directly related to strengthening political will or environmental regulations, technological breakthroughs or alternative energy sources.
Viewpoint: Let’s turn the World Bank into a mobilizer of private investment to fight climate changeBlog Post
Women account for more than 40 percent of the agricultural workforce worldwide, but they own less than 20 percent of the world’s land, and earn just a fraction of what their male counterparts do. On International Women’s Day, Oumou Camara, writing on behalf of Farming First, shares the stories of eight remarkable women who are bridging the gender gap in agriculture in emerging markets around the world.
Bridging the Gender Gap in Agriculture: Eight Success Stories for International Women’s DayBlog Post
Dead-end leads are frustrating for both entrepreneurs and investors. They involve wasted time and resources, disappointment, and the erosion of relationships – and sometimes the exchange of capital that's a poor fit for the entrepreneur’s business. To prevent these issues, the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) has created an online toolkit to help impact entrepreneurs identify their top investor targets. Kimberly Langsam and Cathy Clark at CASE summarize the simple four-step process – and CASE will host a free online demo with more information on March 13 and 19.
Four Steps to Avoid Dead-End Impact Investing Leads
