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Is Universal Financial Access Still Possible?
The most recent Global Findex survey shows 515 million adults have opened bank accounts since 2014. While that's good progress, Daniel Monehin, who heads Financial Inclusion for Mastercard, points out that owning an account is just the first step towards financial inclusion - the real value comes with being able to use it in a safe and convenient way. That's why universal financial access must go hand-in-hand with efforts to drive usage, writes Monehin, who urges the sector to focus on people, products and partnerships.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Nigeria’s mobile money scheme crawls at 1% penetration
After about five years of operation in Nigeria, mobile money has only been able to attract just one per cent penetration.
- Categories
- Finance
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China’s VC firm LUN Partners leads $4.5m Series B in fintech firm MFS Africa
The funding round makes MFS Africa, operator of the largest digital payments network in Africa, the first African fintech company to receive funding from a China-based VC, according to a statement released on Wednesday.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Taxing mobile money will hinder financial inclusion, says GSMA
“I am very concerned anytime there is any indication that government or anybody wants to take any step that may inhibit the growth of mobile money. When you tax mobile money, you are taxing the people who are probably the most excluded in mainstream financial service."
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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Fidor, IFC partner to expand digital financial inclusion in Africa and Latin America
Digital banking services provider Fidor has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank, to expand digital banking services in Africa and Latin America.
- Categories
- Finance
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MyBucks and Naga Group Team Up to Bring Cryptocurrencies to Emerging Markets
Fintech firms MyBucks and the Naga Group have announced a new partnership to implement Naga’s cryptocurrency wallet within MyBucks’ client interface and existing mobile wallet, enabling some 1.5 million users across Africa, Australia and other countries to manage, send and receive cryptocurrencies.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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A ‘miracle’ in India will disrupt e-wallets and incumbents
As countries around the globe endure fragmented payment markets, where citizens and businesses suffer from cash dependency, poor accessibility, high transaction costs and low interoperability between different payment systems, India’s Unified Payment Interface presents a miracle model that other developing economies can emulate, as they look to move away from cash-centricity and overhaul their own payments infrastructure in pursuit of speed, security, auditability and financial inclusion.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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MTN expands financial services offering with Ecobank deal
MTN is moving further into the financial services space, announcing a partnership with major Pan-African banking group Ecobank.
- Categories
- Finance
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