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After 10 successful investments, Micromax starts $100 million fund
India’s prominent smartphone maker Micromax is launching an investment fund of up to $100 million to invest in consumer Internet companies relevant to the Indian market. Named Orbis Capital, the fund will raise money from Indian and foreign private equity firms and pension funds. The fund’s advisory board will have prominent entrepreneurs like Nami Zarrighalam, Founder of Truecaller, and renowned investor Perry Blacher among others.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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Learning from (and About) India’s Emerging Digital Money Grid
The Indian government's experience in converting all its citizens onto a digital platform can help inform all digital finance professionals interested in financial inclusion models, according to Ignacio Mas and his team at the Digital Frontiers Institute. So they've collaborated with MicroSave to create a four-week online course, Digital Money Grid India, which they'll offer starting March 27.
- Categories
- Education
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FICCI Report Explores Promises and Challenges of FinTech in India
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) published a new report in January called “Leveraging the FinTech Opportunities in India” to highlight a number of topics, including digital payments, digital banking, blockchain, and online lending, to name a few.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Kenya’s BitPesa Closes $2.5M Funding Round
Kenyan digital currency payments platform BitPesa has closed a US$2.5 million series A funding round, with a view to expanding its services further across West and Southern Africa, as well as in the UK and Europe.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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Leveraging India’s Digital Transformation: Three Lessons for MFIs
As India continues its digital transformation, Grameen Foundation India has helped several MFIs transition to a digital financial services platform, and along the way developed some key lessons MFIs should keep in mind: conduct a thorough analysis of your business requirements before you select a digital financial services provider; don't discount the value of effective change management; and pay close attention to client education.
- Categories
- Technology
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5 Reasons Why India’s Aadhaar Journey Since 2014 Is Incredible
Numbers speak. In the case of Aadhaar — India’s biometric-based unique identification scheme for all citizens — the numbers are massive. What started merely as a unique identification programme six and a half years ago graduated to becoming a tool for public service delivery reforms in the second phase and for de-duplication, e-KYC and direct benefit transfer in the third phase. In its latest avatar, Aadhaar is poised to truly change the way Indians have done financial transactions until now.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Indian government exploring ways to insure mobile wallet balances
The government is exploring options to insure money in mobile wallets similar to how banks offer insurance on savings accounts. According to sources, the government is talking with the stakeholders — wallet players and insurance companies — to work on the rules.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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VISA, Atlas Mara in Major Payments Deal
Global payments firm Visa and Atlas Mara Limited that bought two of some of Rwanda’s biggest banks, have signed a commercial partnership to introduce new payment solutions and expand access to electronic payments within the Sub-Saharan Africa region.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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