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In a Cash-Strapped Age, Are Microloans the Answer?
Digital microfinance has made it possible for the prosperous to help developing world entrepreneurs with capability but no capital.
- Categories
- Finance
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Report: Over 500 Million Mobile-Money Users Expected in Africa in 2020
With 50 million new accounts created on the continent in 2019 and a 12% increase in registered users, Africa is by far the leading continent for mobile-money services. However, growth is uneven from one region to another.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Safaricom, Vodacom Acquire M-PESA Payments Platform
“Our joint venture will allow Vodacom and Safaricom to drive the next generation of the M-PESA platform, an intelligent, cloud-based platform for the smartphone age. It will also help us to promote greater financial inclusion and help bridge the digital divide within the communities in which we operate.”
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Distribute Cash, not COVID-19: Five Ways Policymakers in Sub-Saharan Africa Can Provide Cash Transfers Safely
As COVID-19 spreads around the world, 35 countries have introduced new cash transfer programs in response to the pandemic. Cash is one of the most effective ways to support people during a crisis, say Martin Gould and Nate Vernon at IDInsight. But administering cash transfers in low-income countries can raise some big questions for policymakers. They discuss five ways governments in sub-Saharan Africa can manage these programs safely and effectively.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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Press Release: Western Union Expands Its Digital Services
Western Union is continuing to expand digital services and account payout during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Tags
- digital finance, fintech
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When Digital Payment Waves Lead to ‘Unbanking’
Ironically, fintechs and cashless payment technologies who promise to ensure financial inclusion often achieve the opposite results.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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Mobile Money Providers Score a Major Win – But Are They at Risk of Losing it All?
According to the GSMA’s recently launched 2019 State of the Industry report, mobile money achieved some major milestones last year: There are now more than 1 billion accounts, and for the first time, the majority of transaction values are digital. But according to Arunjay Katakam, mobile money providers will soon face a new challenge that could upend their industry, as internet-based "over-the-top" payments providers are poised to transform the competitive landscape.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Will the Coronavirus Pandemic Push Africa’s Mobile Money Markets to the Next Level?
Kenya is arguably the world's top mobile money market, and one reason for its success is that a “trigger” event – the post-election violence of 2008 – forced the rapid, large-scale adoption of mobile payment services. Jill Lagos Shemin explores how the unique demands of the coronavirus pandemic could prove to be a similar catalyst for mobile money growth in other countries, and how providers and other stakeholders can build upon this momentum to create more inclusive digital ecosystems for underserved customers.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology