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A Shifting Frontier: How Mobile Money is Reshaping the Gender Gap in Financial Inclusion
Mobile banking can undoubtedly be a useful tool when it comes to closing the financial services gender gap – with the key word being "can." But as the results of the Global Findex report show, fintech is no panacea for addressing longstanding disparities in financial access, and the gap between men and women remains great. Scott Graham of FINCA International explores the potential – and limitations – of digital finance to boost women’s inclusion and empowerment.
- Categories
- Finance
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Announcing the Latest NextBillion E-book: Insights and Innovations in Financial Health
In response to a growing recognition that financial access alone doesn’t guarantee social impact, many of the sector’s leading voices are shifting their focus to financial health. MetLife Foundation and its partners explored that topic on NextBillion's Financial Health site, through 20 articles that discuss what’s working—and sometimes, what’s not working—in inclusive finance. We’ve compiled these articles into an e-book, which you can download and share here.
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Industry body seeks government intervention to tame errant microfinance practitioners in Sri Lanka
LMFPA aims to self-regulate its 76 members through the code of conduct, particularly avoiding over indebtedness, maintaining transparency, promoting good recovery practices and maintaining healthy competition. Nafeer noted that an independent board would investigate the complaints lodged against its members and will take punitive action against errant members by terminating their membership if they continue to breach the code of conduct and same will be advertised in print media to inform the public.
- Region
- South Asia
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Beyond Inclusion: How Mission-Based Small Business Lenders are Evolving Their Definition of Impact
While microfinance institutions have grown rapidly around the globe, so too has economic inequality in developed countries. More than two decades ago, Accion in the U.S. and Opportunity Fund responded by adapting their microlending model from low-income markets to the United States. Gina Harman and Luz Urrutia, the respective CEOs of those two organizations, share new research on small loans have impacted revenues and profits for borrowing entrepreneurs, most of whom lacked the financing and resources they needed to start or grow their businesses.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
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NextBillion is on Vacation – Check Out Our Top 10 Recent Posts
With the Independence Day holiday this Wednesday, it's summer vacation time for much of the U.S. - and NextBillion is no exception. Since our editors will be enjoying some time off this week, we won't be publishing new blog content until next Monday, July 9. In the meantime, we've compiled 10 of our most-read recent posts, including some of our more thought-provoking content of the year. We hope you enjoy them, and we look forward to bringing you more original analysis and insight from the world of social business next week.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance, Investing, Social Enterprise
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Big winners, big losers: Kenya’s addiction to gambling
Gambling is a multi-million dollar business in Kenya, but there are more losers than winners - with an increasing number of young people chancing their luck
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- financial health, youth
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Press Release: MetLife Social Impact Investments Rise to $50 Billion
MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) today announced its impact investment portfolio grew to $50 billion in 2017, an increase of 12 percent year-over-year from 2016 to 2017, and MetLife Foundation reached more than six million low-income individuals through the fourth year of its five year, $200 million dollar commitment to financial inclusion.
- Categories
- Investing
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Using Findex Wisely: Understanding the Strengths and Weaknesses of the World’s Biggest Financial Inclusion Dataset
The Global Findex report is an essential piece of data for the financial inclusion sector, but its insights should nevertheless be treated with caution, says Daniel Rozas. Exploring some inexplicable findings in the recent Findex 2017 release, he breaks down the limits of survey-based data, and explains how Findex can be used in combination with other forms of data to get a more accurate picture of financial inclusion progress.
- Categories
- Finance
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