-
World Bank Group’s IFC Invests in Malaysia’s Zetrix AI to Improve Access to Digital Public Infrastructure Services
IFC’s 155.6 million Malaysian Ringgit ($40 million) investment will support the development and rollout of new, blockchain-based DPI applications and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled products that aim to improve digital inclusion, access to services, and economic efficiency in Malaysia and the broader ASEAN region.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
-
Airtel Africa Eyes Starlink, IPO, and Crypto Push
If Airtel successfully blends satellite coverage, mobile money scale, and eventually crypto rails, it could reshape competition not just in Kenya, but across its entire African footprint.
- Categories
- Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Spiro Secures $50 Million to Boost African Expansion
Spiro, Africa’s electric mobility leader and battery swapping pioneer, today announced the raising of $50 million in debt funding from Afreximbank and two new investors Nithio and Africa Go Green Fund managed by Cygnum Capital. The new funding follows Spiro’s landmark $100 million investment in October 2025, which became Africa's largest-ever electric mobility investment.
- Categories
- Energy, Transportation
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Analysis: Innovation Under Constraint in the Global South
For the impact economy, the central challenge is not replication but responsibility. If scale reshapes power, then impact-aligned capital must take responsibility for how that power is structured and where value ultimately accrues.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
- Region
- Global
-
Impact Leadership Under Pressure: Four Lessons from Resilient Organizations
Impact leadership is hard even in the best of times. But as Erin Worsham and Kimberly Bardy Langsam at the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) explain, recent crises have put added stress on leaders and organizations across the sector. Drawing on insights gathered during COVID-19 and other crises, they share four key lessons that can help impact leaders navigate the pressure of the present while preparing their organizations for the future.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
-
Analysis: The Broken Narrative About Nonprofit Sustainability at Scale
The dominant narratives about sustainable financing at scale can leave nonprofits questioning many of their foundational decisions.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Education, Energy, Environment, Finance, Health Care, Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology, Telecommunications, Transportation, WASH
- Region
- Global
-
NSIA, JICA Plan $50 Million Fund to Empower Startups in Nigeria
The fund will provide capital to pre-seed, seed, and early-stage start-ups, addressing critical social challenges in sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, education, energy, waste and water management.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Education, Energy, Finance, Health Care, WASH
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
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
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter, "NextBillion Notes"
Published each Wednesday, our e-newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with a selection of news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage — and regular conference ticket giveaways.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.