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Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up: Bhutan and Fiji’s Contrasting Paths to Digital Transformation Reveal the Pros and Cons of Government and Market-Driven Approaches
The pursuit of digital competitiveness — the capacity and readiness to adopt digital technologies — has led to remarkable success stories in emerging markets, transforming public infrastructure and enhancing the delivery of social and financial services. But as Neeraj Lekhwar and Garima Singh at FinValue Advisors explain, this path remains challenging for many nations — particularly small countries. They share insights from a FinValue study involving Bhutan and Fiji: two countries with comparable sizes and socioeconomic structures that have approached their digital transformation very differently. The policy paths they've taken present contrasting examples of digital adoption strategies that provide valuable lessons for other small markets.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Trident Raises $2.6 Million to Support Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Digital ID Rollout
DRC Pass aims to enhance financial inclusion and improve public service delivery.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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A Milestone in the Modernization of Indian Healthcare: How Digital Integration is Transforming the Country’s Health System
India's Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), launched in 2021, is working to create a national digital health ecosystem by leveraging the country’s existing IT infrastructure and technologies. As Nivedita Mishra and Rashika Anand at Sambodhi Research and Communications explain, the mission represents a significant step toward modernizing India’s healthcare system. They explore ABDM's work from a health systems perspective, highlighting the existing gaps and wider systemic challenges it's addressing, and discussing the strategies it's using to foster a resilient digital health ecosystem that supports universal health coverage.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
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Guyana National Digital ID Project Gets $4.8 Million in 2025 Budget
The billion-dollar infusion comes as part of a push by the current government to implement e-governance and advance digital transformation in key sectors such as healthcare, education, and transportation.
- Categories
- Education, Health Care, Technology, Transportation
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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ID Verification Company Equal Bags $10 Million in First Institutional Raise
Equal is building a platform which helps businesses streamline their know your customer (KYC) processes and prevent fraud, thereby assisting in regulatory compliance through integration with about 50 identity databases.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Mastercard, Orange Partner to Increase Financial Inclusion in Seven African Countries
A deal between Orange Middle East and Africa and Mastercard aimed at driving financial inclusion for millions of Africans across seven countries through digital payments is set to go operational next year.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Papua New Guinea Advances Digital ID, Wallet and Govt Platform to Pilot
The pilots are supported by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Australian High Commission for New Guinea, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and GovStack.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Congo Scraps $1.2 Billion Biometric ID Project Over Cost Concerns
Congo currently lacks a national ID system, which complicates basic tasks for its citizens, such as opening bank accounts, obtaining official documents, and registering to vote.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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