NextBillion - A WDI Publication

Results

• News
  Analysis: Could Bangladesh’s ‘Eco-Bricks’ Do More Harm Than Good?

  The switch from polluting clay-fired bricks to concrete-based ‘alternative bricks’ is presented as an environmentally friendly policy, but experts say it overlooks carbon emissions in the supply chain and destruction of riverine ecosystems

• News
  Analysis: Community Seeds and Fertilisers: An Alternative Route to Food Security

  Governments may put an emphasis on imported seeds and synthetic fertilisers to obtain high yields, but traditional African approaches can produce resilient and sustainable crops.

• Blog Post
  Three Common Mistakes Startups Make When Running Lean Experiments – And How To Avoid Them

  Reaching product-market fit is critical to growing a startup, but the process can be chaotic, as founders must solve multiple problems at once. But while planning and strategizing can address some of these issues, Akansha Kasera and Malika Anand at Catalyst Fund argue that the most robust solutions come from experiments and iterations. They explore the lean experimentation approach used by Catalyst Fund's portfolio companies, share a free product-market fit toolkit that can guide experiment design — and highlight three mistakes to avoid during this crucial process.

• Blog Post
  The Value and Limitations of Market-Based Innovations for Impact: Three Takeaways After COVID-19

  The COVID-19 pandemic has made one thing clear: Digital innovation in service delivery and infrastructure is critical to economic inclusion – both in emerging markets and around the world. But as Tilman Ehrbeck at Flourish Ventures points out, the crisis has also provided a humble reminder that digital infrastructure, private-sector innovation and market-based solutions are not sufficient to ensure broad-based prosperity. He shares three observations, rooted in the experiences of the pandemic, about the value — and limitations — of private-sector approaches in a post-COVID-19 world.

• Blog Post
  Financial Services That Work for Young People: How Social Norms Impact Financial Resilience Among the Youth in Africa

  Financial service providers are capable of reaching young people in Africa, but not without a deep understanding of how social norms and expectations are impacting their financial access and usage, say Lise Paaskesen at Lise Consultancy and Weselina Angelow at the World Savings and Retail Banking Institute. They explore research that suggests how providers can improve young people's opportunities and resilience by offering services that foster autonomy, decision-making and bargaining power — which in turn can contribute to changing social norms in those areas.

• Blog Post
  Going Beyond Capital: How Impact Investing Can Become More Accessible and Inclusive

  There's a troubling trend in the impact investing sector: Despite growing awareness of the need for more socially conscious investing, most investors don't know how to get started — and they often don't realize the breadth of opportunities they have to make an impact. Eva Yazhari of Beyond Capital Ventures explores ways to make this young industry more accessible, and explains how investors can — and should — address the bias and exclusivity that are preventing impact investing from maximizing its potential.

• Blog Post
  Improving the Outcomes-Readiness of Implementors – A Key Step Towards Scaling Results-Based Financing

  With less than a decade left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the development financing gap has widened. According to Gagandeep Nanda at Dalberg and Dhun Davar and Sietse Wouters at UBS Optimus Foundation, results-based financing can provide a solution. But though organizations have high interest in participating in results-based financing, many are not ready to take on funding that is tied to outcomes instead of inputs and activities. They share five characteristics of effective outcomes-ready implementing organizations, and five ways these groups can be set up for success.

• News
  Nigeria’s Kuda Bank Raises $55 Million At $500 Million Valuation

  Nigerian FinTech startup Kuda Bank notched $55 million in a Series B funding round at a $500 million valuation as the digital bank seeks to expand into other countries across Africa.