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Alibaba is a huge fan of the B2B business model. The eCommerce conglomerate, which has overhauled China’s B2C online shopping industry, has launched several initiatives within the B2B market, including partnerships in other Asian economies to launch wholesale eCommerce services in Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia. The company has also fostered B2B eCommerce startups through its competitionrecently held in Hong Kong to promote innovation and progress in the industry.
Alibaba’s B2B Plan Could Change the World of Cross-Border CommerceNews
While many countries appear to have met the U.N. Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water, rights activists say that African countries which have taken to installing prepaid water meters have rendered a blow to many poor people, making it hard for them to access water.
Prepaid Meters Scupper Gains Made in Accessing Water in AfricaNews
Asked to name an event that has reshaped finance in recent years, bankers will point to the collapse of Lehman Brothers on September 15th 2008, the nadir of the financial crisis. Fintech types are more likely to mention something that happened six weeks later. On October 31st 2008 Satoshi Nakamoto, a pseudonymous cryptography buff whose real identity remains a mystery, unveiled a project he dubbed bitcoin, “a new electronic cash system that’s fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party”. It described what appeared to be a robust framework for a currency that could run without the backing of any government. Enthusiasts proclaimed that finance was about to enter the era of crypto-currencies. Since the need for a trusted third party has traditionally been a large part of the banks’ raison d’être, this could mean that in future they will no longer be required—potentially a much more radical change than the other inroads fintech has made on their business.
Bitcoin – The Next Big Thing in Finance (Or Is It?)News
The Botswana-UPenn Partnership (BUP) is collaborating with Microsoft, the Botswana Innovation Hub, and other global partners to launch the first telemedicine service in Africa using TV white spaces to bring internet connectivity to hospitals and clinics across rural areas of Botswana. The pilot project, called “Project Kgolagano,” will provide clinical consultations and diagnoses to a patient population who would otherwise have to travel far distances to the capital city of Gaborone, Botswana, for specialized care.
Press Release: Botswana-UPenn Partnership Teams with Microsoft to Launch Telemedicine Service over TV White Spaces NetworkBlog Post
It’s Mother’s Day in the U.S., and we’ve put together a selection of tweets that anyone’s mother would love (assuming she’s involved in social enterprise or global development). This week’s tweets include case studies for impact investors, disturbing development’s on India’s financial inclusion front, and our usual array of resources and insights (along with some interesting gift ideas for mom.)
Twitter Top 10 – 5/10/15News
WHO and the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding defining areas where they will work together to improve the quality and use of global health estimates to measure the world’s health challenges.
Press Release: A Commitment to Improve Global Health InformationNews
Not long ago, I wrote about the Ford Foundation's overhead expenses, pointing that it had spent over $1 billion in the past decade on personnel and office space. That's a shocking amount of money that never made it to poor people or starving artists or struggling students or others in need.
Viewpoint: Top Philanthropy Board and Staff Are Paid Over $600 Million a Year. Is That Too Much?News
WHO and the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding defining areas where they will work together to improve the quality and use of global health estimates to measure the world’s health challenges.
Press Release: A Commitment to Improve Global Health Information
