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Press release: Financial Solutions Lab Launches $3 Million Year-Four Competition to Support the Financial Health of Underrepresented Communities
Given the diversity of Americans who struggle with financial health, in this year’s Challenge, the Lab is particularly interested in products developed by entrepreneurs of color, women and people with disabilities, and designed to meet the financial needs of often overlooked populations.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- North America
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Press release: Acumen America Makes Its First Financial Inclusion Investment Under New Partnership With Metlife Foundation
Acumen, the nonprofit global venture fund, today announced its first financial inclusion investment under its Acumen America portfolio. Launched in 2016, Acumen America invests in social enterprises addressing the problems of poverty in the United States with a focus on the sectors of health care, workforce development and financial inclusion.
- Region
- North America
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Press release: Wall Street Journal Financial Inclusion Challenge Returns for Fourth Year
The Challenge seeks entries from for-profit and nonprofit enterprises whose product or service is helping to improve the financial health of Americans, including their spending, borrowing, saving, investing and financial planning capabilities. These solutions must be innovative, scalable, sustainable and designed to have a positive social impact.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- North America
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Press release: Village Capital and MetLife Foundation Award $50,000 To Middle East Financial Health Startups at Forum in Dubai
“MetLife Foundation is proud to partner with Village Capital on this innovative financial health forum that identifies and accelerates early-stage entrepreneurs who are leading the way toward a more financially inclusive Middle East,” said Dennis White, President and CEO, MetLife Foundation. “Village Capital’s approach to identify and support local entrepreneurs that have a deep understanding of culturally-relevant customer needs and solutions helps advance MetLife Foundation’s overall goal to provide individuals and communities with the tools they need to achieve sustainable financial well-being.”
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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Digital Isn’t Always the Answer: Building Choice into Financial Inclusion Solutions for Smallholder Farmers
Smallholder farmers often live in remote villages, located hours away from towns and cities where they might be able to access consistent mobile networks, bank accounts or other formal financial access points. So while many farmers are curious about the idea of receiving the payment for their cash crops in digital formats, the options for them to use that digital currency are limited. Instead of pushing technology for technology’s sake, financial inclusion projects ought to seek diverse solutions that are appropriate and accessible for customers based on their needs.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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Fintech Listed as Emerging Risk to Financial Stability in Report
“Fintech risk, which was included in this survey for the first time, was acknowledged as a significant source of risk by 15 percent of respondents,” the authors wrote. “Generally recognized as holding great promise, these results demonstrate a growing awareness of potential emerging risks, highlighting the need to evaluate both risks and rewards associated with fintech initiatives.”
- Categories
- Finance
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‘Stealthy’ Saving: Building on Payroll Credit to Automate Savings
Basic savings accounts are essential to helping people build assets, and to establishing their relationship with financial institutions. But customers often fail to open or use these accounts – even when they have the money and the intention of saving it. Acreimex, a savings & credit cooperative in Oaxaca, Mexico, worked with BFA to find an innovative, "stealthy" way to introduce savings to its existing payroll loan customers. The results of their pilot program were intriguing.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Live from European Microfinance Week: Watch Recordings of Friday’s Two Plenary Sessions
NextBillion is covering European Microfinance Week as a media partner, and we're planning to live-stream two plenary sessions on Friday, Dec. 1, via Facebook Live. You can watch the broadcasts on our Facebook Page at 9:00 - 10:30 AM Luxembourg Time/3:00 - 4:30 AM EST, and at 3:30-4:30 PM Luxembourg Time/9:30-10:30 AM EST.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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