NextBillion - A WDI Publication

Results

• News
  Viewpoint: Impact Start-Ups Left Out of India’s Funding Boom

  Aasaanjobs’ fund-raising journey has been a bit different so far from most impact start-ups. Last January, the Mumbai-based company picked up $1.5 million in seed capital from Inventus Capital Partners and IDG Ventures India. Both are mainstream venture capital firms and generally don’t back businesses that focus on consumers at the bottom half of the pyramid. This week, the two firms increased their investment when the company raised $5 million in a Series A round led by Aspada Advisors, the venture capital firm backed by Soros Economic Development Fund.

• Blog Post
  Rapid Growth = Equitable Access? Is Ivory Coast’s financial sector expanding enough to reach full inclusion?

  Ivory Coast’s financial sector is expanding, but is that enough to reach full financial inclusion? How is the microfinance sector faring in the clean-up process that the government started a few years ago? And how is the rapid expansion of mobile money impacting the overall financial access picture? MIX is launching an updated version of their Ivory Coast workbook release, which explores these key questions.

• Blog Post
  NexThought Monday: Remittances Disrupted – Three ways to make the international remittance revolution stick

  Every year, workers around the world send nearly half a trillion dollars to their families back home in developing countries. These international remittances are economic lifelines for millions, though the market has long been known primarily for its high fees, and we are still waiting for a true disruption to benefit the lives of the poor. Andria Thomas at Dalberg discusses three notable gaps that are ready for greater investment and action from the private, public and social sectors.

• News
  Vanessa Kerry Is Determined to Transform Global Health

  Vanessa Kerry was raised in Boston with a name synonymous with politics and public service. She’s the younger of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s two daughters, and is charting a path that is very much her own — one that combines her devotion to medicine with her family’s tradition of public service.

• Blog Post
  NexThought Monday: Impact Investing ‘Skeptics Have Been Defeated’ – Our Q&A With LeapFrog CEO

  LeapFrog Investments' portfolio of companies make insurance and financial services their business, and their clientele are those who earn $10 or less a day. With a recent investment from development organization OPIC, LeapFrog has raised more than $1 billion. In an interview with NextBillion, CEO Andrew Kuper details LeapFrog's trajectory, the shakiness of emerging markets, and the challenges of reaching consumers for whom insurance can provide both a safety net and an economic springboard.

• News
  Egyptian Government and Visa Sign Agreement to Help Bring Electronic Payments to Government Subsidies

  The Egyptian government, represented by the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade and the Ministry of Planning, this week signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Visa Inc., to enable electronic payment of government subsidies to 22 million Egyptian families.

• Blog Post
  Investing in Detroit’s Comeback: Optimism & Challenges on the Road to Inclusive Growth

  Detroit’s comeback story is replacing the apocalyptic headlines of recent memory. Thanks to new investment, thousands of new streetlights are on and blight is being tackled at a faster pace than ever before. But fundamental questions remain: Will redevelopment in Detroit lead to equitable growth? Will the city's lower-income and working-class residents who have lived there for decades continue to be a significant part of Detroit’s rich culture, history and vibrancy? These are questions that are being asked in urban areas across the country, says Bradford Frost, director of the Detroit Initiative.

• News
  OPIC Enters Into $250 Million Partnership with Bayport to Advance Financial Inclusion

  Bayport Management Ltd, a leading emerging market financial services group, today announced the closing of a $250 million senior debt facility with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation which will support the group’s financial inclusion and growth agenda across its operations.