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Ho Chi Minh City Sets up $20 Million Venture Capital Fund to Support Startups
Priority investment areas include digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data and blockchain, semiconductor manufacturing, biotechnology, new materials, renewable energy, automation and robotics.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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Creating a Local Means of Exchange for African Entrepreneurs: How a Blockchain-Based Community Currency Gained Traction in Tanzania
In African communities, the lack of disposable income often hinders economic growth, and many local entrepreneurs are excluded from centralized, formal finance. Malik El Bay at the Encointer Association and Alinagwe Mwaselela at Jukumu NGO explore how their organizations are addressing this issue by leveraging blockchain technology to enable community members in Dar es Salaam to independently create and manage their own local cryptocurrency. They explain how this community currency model can be leveraged to support economic growth and entrepreneurship across Africa and other emerging markets.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Announcing NextBillion’s Most Influential Articles of 2025: Vote for Your Favorites by Jan. 4
NextBillion’s “Most Influential Articles of the Year” contest has been an annual tradition since 2012. As we do each December, we’ve highlighted 12 of our most-read articles from the past year: You can find links to them in this article, or on the homepage below. We invite you to read them and vote for the ones that influenced your thinking the most. You can vote up to once per hour between today (Dec. 19) and 11:59 pm EST on Jan. 4. We thank you for your support and engagement over these past 20 years, and we wish you a happy and prosperous 2026.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Finance, Investing, Technology, Telecommunications, Transportation
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Press Release: TechnoServe, Bid Lab, and Argidius Launch Initiative to Boost Startups That Support Smallholder Farmers in Central America and Colombia
The VerdeXcelerate program will strengthen startups that are developing innovative tools to tackle the productivity, sustainability, and market access challenges faced by thousands of small and medium-scale farmers in six countries across the region.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Latin America
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South Africa Launches $100 Million Digital Inclusion Fund
Backed by a blended group of investors, the initiative aims to give entrepreneurs both capital and access to global networks.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Kenyan E-Mobility Startup Enzi Mobility Secures USD 3.5 Million Investment to Drive Clean Transport Solutions
As part of the agreement, Kula PCC will invest USD 2 million in equity, with an additional USD 1.5 million allocated to blockchain technology support.
- Categories
- Environment, Technology, Transportation
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: Digital Impact Bonds: New GDFA Report Highlights Role of Tech in Impact Finance
The report provides a timely platform for collaborative thinking and a call to action on how digital impact bonds can help close the $6 trillion annual climate and nature finance gap, while ensuring transparency, efficiency, and inclusion.
- Categories
- Environment, Technology
- Region
- Global
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Flutterwave Selects Polygon as Its Default Blockchain for Cross-Border Payments
Africa’s largest payments company joins forces with Polygon Labs to launch instant, low-cost cross-border payments for global multinationals and millions of consumers.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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