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On the Ground at European Microfinance Week: Discussing Technology’s Threat and Promise – and Financial Services for Refugees
There were two topics that dominated debate at last week’s European Microfinance Week (EMW) conference: the threats and opportunities brought about by the fintech revolution in inclusive finance, and the issue of financial inclusion for refugees and internally displaced persons. The discussion of these issues ranged from hopeful to surprisingly cautionary – Sam Mendelson at the European Microfinance Platform shares some highlights.
- Categories
- Finance
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MTN opens up mobile money platform to developers
“It has been 20 years since we started operating in Uganda and our role in this economy has been evolving. Today, opening the mobile money API further emphasises our ambition of being a digital company." said Wim Vanhelleputte, the MTN Uganda chief executive officer.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Borrowing by mobile phone gets some poor people into trouble
Mobile money, which offers the equivalent of a basic bank account to almost anyone with any sort of phone, has long been seen as a boon for financial inclusion.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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The New Face of Poverty: Why Unemployment isn’t the Issue – And How Financial Inclusion Can Help
When you think about poverty, what does it look like? Many people might picture an undernourished African child, or an elderly beggar sitting in the street. But as Oakam CEO Frederic Nze explains, the reality can be far different. Poverty today often involves the struggles of the working poor, and it’s defined less by extreme deprivation and more by lack of access – to clean water, to power, to basic education, and increasingly to the internet. Nze explores the implications of this shift for the financial inclusion and development sectors.
- Categories
- Finance, Telecommunications
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FINCA DRC introduces tablets in the field
Loan officers consider this strategy very effective and beneficial in terms of saving time and space.
- Source
- Press release
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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IMF Head Says Central Banks Should Look At Issuing Digital Currency
According to the Financial Times, as it stands now, central banks are divided on how to respond to the increase in digital payments and digital tokens.
- Categories
- Finance
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India prime minister says financial tech needs to be a ‘movement’ — not a ‘mechanism’
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that development of financial technology, or fintech, should be a movement that can improve the lives of the world's most marginalized people.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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The Digital Transformation: Four Opportunities and Three Threats for Traditional Financial Institutions
Digital finance can reduce the annual cost of serving customers by up to 80 percent – one reason why financial services providers are embracing it. As MicroSave founder Graham Wright sees it, this race toward digitization is creating a watershed moment for financial and social inclusion. The sector’s decisions now will determine whether it will contribute to truly inclusive economies – or create a growing digital divide. Wright explores four ways this transformation could help financial services providers and their customers – along with three major pitfalls they must avoid.
- Categories
- Finance
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