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Is Financial Inclusion Really Impacting the SDGs? This New Research Approach Could Offer an Answer
There's growing discussion about how financial inclusion can impact the Sustainable Development Goals – including on NextBillion earlier this week. But according to Liz Larson at UNCDF and Daryl Collins at BFA, the evidence of a link between financial tools and development impacts has not been conclusive. They explore a new measurement framework that aims to take account of the breadth of all potential and proven connections between financial services and the SDGs – while also offering a method for substantiating those impacts.
- Categories
- Finance
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Accelerating to Investment: Four Strategies for Securing Follow-on Funding for Fintech Startups
Every startup wants to secure funding for growth. Yet for many fintech startups, especially in emerging markets, capital is scarce, business models are unproven, and investors are unfamiliar with the sector – so funding runs out before they can achieve impact. Under these challenging circumstances, BFA's Catalyst Fund accelerator has helped its early-stage, inclusive fintech startups raise substantial investment capital. Maelis Carraro and Malika Anand at BFA explore the secrets to its success.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Finance, Investing
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The Superplatforms are Coming … And They Will Transform Financial Inclusion
With their big brands, big budgets and big data, superplatforms like Google, Amazon, Facebook and Alibaba already know more about most banks’ customers than the banks themselves. As these internet giants make increasing inroads into financial services, what are the implications for low-income customers – and their existing providers? David Porteous of BFA and Olga Morawcynski of MasterCard Foundation explore how these platforms are reshaping the face of financial inclusion around the world.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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From Financial Inclusion to Employment: Four Ways Superplatforms Will Shape Africa’s Future
Perhaps surprisingly, young people in sub-Saharan Africa and other low-income countries haven't embraced digital payments to the extent of their older peers. But that may be changing as "superplatforms" like Alibaba and Facebook – which can leverage their data and tech capabilities over multiple sectors – emerge in the region. David Porteous and Amolo Ng’weno of BFA and Olga Morawcynski of Mastercard Foundation discuss four ways these tech platforms will shape youth employment, financial inclusion, digital identity and other fields.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Press release: BFA’S Catalyst Fund Initiative that Accelerates the Future of Fintech in Emerging Markets Reaches 20 “Inclusive Fintech” Companies
“Bank accounts and payment transfers are receiving a lot of attention and are growing in the number of subscribers, but they aren’t being used with the frequency that you’d expect,” said David del Ser, a Director at BFA. “We’re accelerating inclusive fintech companies whose solutions will achieve greater usage and help address the complete financial lives of these populations — there is great need and demand for these kinds of products and services in emerging markets.”
- Categories
- Finance
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Three Steps (and One BFF) for a Perfect Bank-Fintech Match
Finding "The One" has never been easy: you have to know what you want, set appropriate filters, determine mutual understanding, and, of course, remember to take things slow. Fintechs and banks may not seem like natural partners, but as of late they're pairing up more than ever. With so many hurdles to cross, it's only natural that they could use a little help – and that's why BFA and MetLife Foundation teamed up to play matchmaker. In this piece, Maelis Carraro, senior associate at BFA, outlines how they brought together two new fintech-bank power couples in Latin America.
- Categories
- Finance
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The Economic Lives of Sex Workers: Can Financial Inclusion Offer Women a Path Out of the Sex Trade?
True financial inclusion involves reaching marginalized workers, and few are more marginalized than sex workers. Like everyone, these workers have financial needs and goals - including, for many, the goal of finding a safer livelihood. Daryl Collins, CEO of BFA, walks through the revenues and expenses of a sex worker in Ghana to show how access to financial services can impact sex workers – and why mainstream providers need to see the value in this overlooked population.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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Can Tech Humanize Microfinance? An Unexpected Benefit of Going Digital
Shuffling through papers while standing at a pho vendor’s street stall. Asking customers the same questions over and over again every loan cycle. CEP’s staff and clients constantly dealt with such frustrations until the Vietnam-based microfinance institution rolled out an app that digitized the loan and repayment process. Laura Cojocaru and Kelly Nguyen of BFA report on how the technology not only saves time, but helps loan officers connect on a more personal level with clients.
- Categories
- Finance
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