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How India’s Non-Bank Financial Companies are Closing the MSME Credit Gap — And What Other Emerging Markets Can Learn from Their Success
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) make up around 90% of businesses and employ over half of the workforce globally, while generating up to 40% of GDP and creating 70% of formal jobs in emerging markets. Yet according to Sameer Nanda at Ugro Capital Limited, these businesses face an ongoing credit gap that, in India alone, amounts to an estimated ₹80 trillion. He explains how non-bank financial companies are addressing this gap by offering dynamic and flexible lending services designed for MSMEs — and shares useful lessons from their approach that can be applied in other emerging economies with similar credit challenges.
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Econet Founder Strive Masiyiwa Unveils $720 Million Plan to Build Africa’s First AI Factory Network by 2026
Under this vision, the continent would gain the infrastructure to conduct local AI research, development, and deployment.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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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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Ghana Brings in Trust Stamp to Build Tokenized Digital ID Infrastructure
The tokenized ID services will be provided to the NIA, other government ministries and agencies, as well as the private sector, with the National Identification Registry (NIR) used as the foundation.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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VC Firm Crane Launches $135 Million Fund in Asia Pacific
Crane Venture Partners was founded in 2015 and invests in technology companies at early stages across multiple regions.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Finnfund Announces €80 Million First Close of Digital Access Impact Fund
The new fund not only focuses on critical digital infrastructure needs but also helps local communities gain better access to key services, according to Hanna Loikkanen, Finnfund´s chief investment officer.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- Global
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Kenya Invites Bids for Rural Broadband Rollout Under $390 Million Digital Economy Project
The entire procurement process will be managed under the World Bank's stringent governance framework to assure international bidders of a level playing field.
- Categories
- Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Designing Digital Health Tools for the Last Mile: Lessons for Maximizing Connectivity, Usability and Trust
Digital health has become a promising approach for improving healthcare access in under-resourced communities. But as Kaumudi Tiwari at Zonka Feedback explains, bringing healthcare to the “last mile” isn’t just about overcoming the challenges of physical distance. It’s about navigating poor network coverage, language mismatches, lack of trust in digital systems, and tools that don’t align with local workflows or realities. She shares four critical lessons from digital health deployments in Africa and Asia that underscore why some digital health tools succeed in the last mile, while others stall.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
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