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Fintech Listed as Emerging Risk to Financial Stability in Report
“Fintech risk, which was included in this survey for the first time, was acknowledged as a significant source of risk by 15 percent of respondents,” the authors wrote. “Generally recognized as holding great promise, these results demonstrate a growing awareness of potential emerging risks, highlighting the need to evaluate both risks and rewards associated with fintech initiatives.”
- Categories
- Finance
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Four Ways to Tackle Weak Competition in Digital Financial Services in Emerging Markets
Everyone loves a digital finance success story - but what happens when a firm's dominance gets out of hand? That's the issue in many emerging economies, where powerful players and extreme consolidation have raised the risk of abuses of market power. Simone di Castri and Ariadne Plaitakis of BFA suggest four ways policymakers and regulators can level the playing field.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Investment = Inclusion: Can Fintech, With a Boost from Investors, Level the Playing Field for the Unbanked in Africa?
Fintech – particularly mobile finance – is increasingly vital to Africa's economic growth. But despite the continent's impressive mobile money penetration, much of its population remains unbanked or underbanked. That’s why it’s so encouraging to see another trend developing in tandem with Africans’ embrace of fintech: namely, investors’ embrace of African fintech companies. Iftin Fatah at OPIC explores why more investment means more digital financial inclusion.
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Partners Release Study On Attitudes To Mobile Money In Africa
The study focuses on four countries of varying degrees of DFS market maturity: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal and Zambia. It is a knowledge product of the Partnership for Financial inclusion, a $37.4 million joint initiative of IFC and the Mastercard Foundation, to advance financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press release: Proudly Introducing The Mastercard Foundation Partnership for Finance in a Digital Africa
We are thrilled to formally launch The Mastercard Foundation Partnership for Finance in a Digital Africa! The FiDA Partnership (the Partnership), established by the Financial Inclusion Program at The Mastercard Foundation (The Foundation), catalyzes knowledge and insights to promote meaningful financial inclusion in an increasingly digital world.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Camilla Nestor Named CEO of Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX)
MIX provides data and analysis on financial service providers, funders and other organizations involved in serving the financial needs of low-income clients through avenues including the MIX Market website, which offers financial and social performance data on approximately 2,000 organizations.
- Categories
- Finance
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The Curious Case of Myanmar: Can the Country Leapfrog to Digital Financial Inclusion?
Fueled by years of repressed demand, cheap Chinese phones, softening regulations and an aggressive push by the country’s mobile network operators, Myanmar leapfrogged from practically zero phones to almost exclusively smartphones. Looking at this stark contrast, a natural question arises – can Myanmar leapfrog from financial exclusion to "digital" financial inclusion, just as it did in telecom?
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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The Longest Last Mile: Are India’s Poor Ready for Digital Financial Services?
With the Indian government working to transform the country into a digital economy, the focus of financial inclusion is heavily inclined toward digital financial services for all. But are India’s poor ready for this shift? Anoushaka Chandrashekar and Misha Sharma at IFMR LEAD argue that poor customers are far from reaching this stage, and that policymakers and practitioners should focus on access and usage, rather than introducing digital products that very few people use.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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