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Accelerating the SDGs: How Digital Finance Can Ignite Faster Progress Toward the Global Goals
With 2030 gradually drawing nearer, how can the world accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals? Global leaders discussed that question at the United Nations General Assembly last week, and according to Ruth Goodwin-Groen at the U.N.-based Better Than Cash Alliance, digital financial inclusion is emerging as a key answer. She discusses how digital financial services can be an important part of the solution for critical issues like hunger, health and climate change – and profiles a few of the growing number of governments and companies that are leading by example.
- Categories
- Finance
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MTN Uganda and Mastercard diversify mobile money service
The launch of the virtual card that is known as MTN MoMocard will ensure MTN’s ability to provide its customers access to products and services previously a preserve of physical credit card holders while diversifying its mobile money portfolio.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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BitPesa, SBI Remit Partner for Blockchain Payments Between Japan And Africa
The two firms are leveraging blockchain technology to reduce friction, improve efficiency and interoperability for cross-border payments between the two continents.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Safaricom shares fall after new tax sets in
The Bill will see Kenyans pay more for internet and mobile money transfer - two of the biggest revenue streams for the giant firm.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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Africa’s fintech startups are innovating out of need and global investors are backing them
After pulling in almost a third of total funding raised by startups on the continent in 2017, the hot streak for African fintech businesses has continued this year. Among recent big-ticket deals in 2018, Cellulant, a digital payments solution company, raised $47.5 million in one of the largest Series C rounds for a solely Africa-focused venture-funded company.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press release: MoneyGram Launches Money Transfer Service to all Mobile Wallets in Ghana
"This is an important milestone for MoneyGram in Ghana as we're now offering real-time, seamless service to our customers and giving them more choices about how to receive their funds – at a physical location, directly to a bank account or a mobile wallet," said Grant Lines, MoneyGram's chief revenue officer. "Giving consumers the flexibility to choose between digital and cash pick-up is, and will continue to be, a competitive advantage for the company."
- Source
- Press release
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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Mastercard partners with Vodacom to introduce first online card in Tanzania
The virtual card will allow M-Pesa mobile wallet holders to make payments on any local or international website or app where Mastercard is accepted for payment, without the need for a bank account or credit card.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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From Financial Inclusion to Employment: Four Ways Superplatforms Will Shape Africa’s Future
Perhaps surprisingly, young people in sub-Saharan Africa and other low-income countries haven't embraced digital payments to the extent of their older peers. But that may be changing as "superplatforms" like Alibaba and Facebook – which can leverage their data and tech capabilities over multiple sectors – emerge in the region. David Porteous and Amolo Ng’weno of BFA and Olga Morawcynski of Mastercard Foundation discuss four ways these tech platforms will shape youth employment, financial inclusion, digital identity and other fields.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology