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SACCOs, Social Collateral and Bitcoin Communities: A Filmmaker Documents New (and Old) Ways to Extend Financial Inclusion Past the Limits of Fintech
Luke Willms worked at an African NGO, where he was tasked with creating short videos to showcase the positive impacts of its microcredit program. But as the video project progressed, his assumptions about the effectiveness of microfinance began to unravel. He would spend the next seven years filming stories from across Africa and other regions, exploring whether microlending still held relevance in a rapidly changing world. The resulting documentary, “Unbankable,” was released last year, with the goal of helping to reframe the global conversation around financial inclusion. He shares key stories from the movie, which show how Africa’s informal, trust-based financial systems offer models of resilience and adaptation that could find new applications in other emerging countries.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Lisk’s $15 Million Fund Wants to Find WEB3 Unicorns in Emerging Markets
Their ticket sizes start at $250,000 for a first cheque. About 30% of the capital is reserved for follow-on rounds, with second cheques of up to $500,000. The maximum exposure per startup is capped at $750,000.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Bybit’s $1 Million EthicHub Investment Shifts 100 Tons of Latin America Coffee to Higher-Value Markets
The collaboration aims to empower rural communities through decentralized finance and sustainable trade opportunities.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance
- Region
- Latin America
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The Rise of the Creator Economy in Emerging Markets: Empowering Youth and Marginalized Communities Through Web Monetization
The creator economy — a thriving ecosystem of online content creators ranging from influencers to bloggers — is a growing source of employment and income in developing economies, especially for younger generations. And as Matšeliso Thabane at the Interledger Foundation explains, alternative earning routes are emerging that can allow these creators to monetize their content in new ways. She explores how Web Monetization — a “pay-as-you-use” approach that enables small, real-time payments to content creators — can help this work become a viable career for creators in emerging markets.
- Categories
- Technology, Telecommunications
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dLocal to Acquire Aza Finance
dLocal's growth has been significantly propelled by its strong presence in the Middle East and Africa, regions characterised by high cryptocurrency adoption.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Global
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Conduit Raises $36 Million to Promote Cross-Border Stablecoin Payments
Conduit said the funding will help it expand into new markets.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Global
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Visa Launches Stablecoin Payments in Latin America in Major Advance for Crypto
"The new offering—which is also being rolled out in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile—stands out because it is being developed around non-volatile stablecoins."
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Latin America
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Viewpoint: Nigerian Crypto Companies Should Be Cautious as SEC Recognises Crypto as Securities
"Crypto’s new legal status in Nigeria could come at a cost."
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa