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Viewpoint: Indian Microfinance Sector Must Transform Before It’s Too Late
Borrowers are juggling multiple loans—sometimes 6 or more—from MFIs, SHGs, local moneylenders, and even app-based lenders. Field staff are exhausted. Community ties that once held JLGs together are fraying. And loan officers are under pressure, leading to shortcuts, fraud, and rising stress levels.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Flutterwave Secures Approval to Offer Remittance Services in Ghana
Nigeria-based fintech gains Bank of Ghana approval to enhance cross-border payments and financial inclusion.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Revitalizing Off-Grid Solar: Why Africa’s PAYGo Sector is Ready for a New Dawn
Africa's off-grid solar sector, particularly pay-as-you-go (PAYGo) solar, has passed through a period of disillusionment among investors, as profitability has remained elusive. But as Chris Emmott at Acumen, Audrey Desiderato at Mirova and Bankole Cardoso at Delta40 Venture Studio argue, the sector nevertheless stands on the cusp of becoming a mature industry with real and sustainable impact. They explain why they remain optimistic about the future of PAYGo solar as impact investors, and why it's time for honest conversations and compromise from all stakeholders — including companies and their investors — about how the industry can move into the next stage of its development.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Finance, Investing, Technology
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Oze Secures New Funding to Expand Lending Management Solution Across Africa
The undisclosed round will support the company’s efforts to scale its Lending Management System (LMS), a solution designed to help financial institutions provide unsecured digital loans to small businesses.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- corporations, digital finance, fintech, lending, microfinance, MSMEs, scale
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Nigeria-Born Banking Startups Target Emerging Market Gig Workers
The startups are not banks in themselves, but partnerships with lenders licensed by central banks make them de facto digital banks.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Safaricom Ethiopia’s M-PESA Revenue Dips Despite 245% Jump in Registrations
Safaricom launched M-PESA in Ethiopia in August 2023 with Kenya extending its M-PESA Global service to the country to facilitate cross-border money transfers.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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South Africa’s Fintech Scene: NjiaPay Raises USD $1 Million and 6DOT50 Enables Crypto Car Payments
NjiaPay, a South African fintech company, raised USD 1 million in a pre-seed funding round.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology, Transportation
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Veon Group Invests $15 Million in Mobilink Bank for Growth and Tech Advancements in Pakistan
The capital aims to bolster Mobilink Bank’s efforts in expanding its services in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) financing.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- North Africa & Near East