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Press Release: Catalyst Fund Announces Seventh Cohort of Inclusive Fintech Startups
All startups in the latest cohort are addressing critical challenges in times of COVID-19, in emerging markets
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Technology
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Four Lessons Utility Providers Can Learn from the Financial Inclusion Sector
Over 1 billion people lack reliable access to essential services like sanitation, potable water and electricity - and reaching them remains a stubborn challenge. But as Jacob Winiecki and Malika Anand at BFA point out, the financial inclusion industry has learned a lot about how to serve low-income customers in remote communities. They share four key lessons in this thought-provoking article.
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Catalyst Fund Welcomes Four African Investors Into Its Exclusive Fintech Fold
The six will join Catalyst Fund’s Circle of Investors, a collaborative, global community of investors committed to backing inclusive fintech startups.
- Categories
- Finance
- Tags
- accelerators, BFA, emerging markets, fintech, investors, startups
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From the Valley of Death to a $14 Million Series A: Sokowatch, Quona and the Role of Philanthropic Capital
The e-commerce company Sokowatch recently raised a $14 million Series A round, enabling it to expand its digital financial services to more merchants in Africa. But just two years ago, the company was in danger of going under. Malika Anand and Maelis Carraro at BFA’s Catalyst Fund discuss how the fund's philanthropically-funded acceleration approach has helped Sokowatch – and other promising fintech startups – survive the “valley of death” and position themselves for commercial investment.
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Taking the COVID-19 Temperature in Emerging Markets
Through an agile, rapid dipstick survey we concluded on March 27th, we share three early findings based on 1,521 respondents from Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Mexico, India, UK, and US, with the latter two countries for comparison with developed economies.
- Categories
- Coronavirus
- Tags
- BFA, coronavirus, emerging markets
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Is India the Next Battleground for African Fintech Startups?
As East African fintech startups look for growth opportunities in the face of increasing competition, many are considering expanding into new countries – and India is a top target. Analysts with BFA explore why these startups' established business models and tested skills give them a solid chance to succeed – and why the Indian market nevertheless presents a formidable challenge.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Catalyst Fund Secures $15M Commitment from UK Aid, JP Morgan
With the additional investment, Catalyst Fund will support the development, growth and reach of 30 new fintech solutions to boost financial inclusion for an additional 1 million underserved people in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, India and Mexico, it said in a statement.
- Categories
- Finance
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Revisiting our Assumptions About Digital Financial Inclusion: Three Unexpected Findings from BFA’s FIBR Project
When BFA launched its FIBR (Financial Inclusion on Business Runways) R&D project four years ago, it outlined a set of assumptions about how smartphones, increased connectivity and digitization would help to accelerate financial inclusion for small businesses in Africa. As the project wraps up, BFA Founder and Chair David Porteous explores which of those assumptions still hold – and which need to be reassessed as unanticipated developments have reshaped the market.
- Categories
- Finance
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