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How Digital Technology Is Reshaping Rural Microfinance
“When most people think of microfinance, they think of group-lending programs or maybe even mobile money systems like M-Pesa,” said Carter. "But there are other opportunities with mobile phones, satellites and other digital technologies to enhance access to small scale financial services to low-wealth rural households in developing countries.”
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Umba, a Digital Bank for Emerging Markets, Raises $2 Million Seed Funding to Expand Across Africa
Umba, a digital bank for emerging markets and aiming first at Africa, has secured a $2 million seed funding round from new investors including Lachy Groom, ex-Head of Issuing at Stripe; Ludlow Ventures; Frontline Ventures and Act Venture Capital.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Central Bank of Kenya Puts an End to Free Mobile Money Transfers
According to the CBK, the measure will not be extended anymore meaning that customers will be required to furnish the transfers with transaction fees. The decision also comes a couple of weeks after Safaricom expressed its desire to have the waivers to not be extended.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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COVID-19 Is Accelerating Digital Banking Across the Globe: Here’s How It Will Impact Bangladesh
COVID-19 has fast-tracked the adoption of innovative tools and technologies by the global banking sector. As Jakirul Islam at Bank Asia points out, this has already led to an increase in digital banking, as customers move away from branch-based banking due to pandemic lockdowns. He explores some popular features of digital banks, and discusses their potential impact in Bangladesh.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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M-Pesa Revenue Dip in Kenya Is Beyond Mobile Money Fee Waivers
While it’s logically a good move putting the health and the wellbeing of people first, this single directive is found to have also caused a significant dip in revenue for Kenya’s dominant mobile money service, M-Pesa, and by extension, the country’s leading telco, Safaricom, took a hit.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Pandemic Draws More Latin American Poor Into Banking System
Sonia Fierro has lived her entire adult life selling children’s books on the streets of Colombia’s capital, earning wages that barely cover her living expenses, let alone the monthly fees that come with a bank account.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- Latin America
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Analysis: Keeping an Eye on Fintech in the Philippines
According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Financial Inclusion Survey, only 29 percent of all adults were banked as of 2019. This means 51.2 million Filipinos remain unbanked.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Keeping Finance in the Family: How Intra-Family Accounts Can Help Low-Income Customers During COVID-19 – and Beyond
Banks in emerging countries often struggle to generate active usage of the accounts they offer to young people. Yet as Anne Marie van Swinderen at L-IFT points out, financial diaries research has shown that young people save frequently and significantly – especially when their earnings rise. She explores how intra-family accounts could help banks serve this challenging demographic during COVID-19 and in the longer term – while also expanding their financial services to other members of the family.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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