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Entrepreneur-Friendly Inclusive Finance: A Survey of Brazilian MSMEs Highlights Key Lessons for Lenders
In Brazil, impact-focused lenders like Estímulo are successfully reaching small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) with inclusive lending approaches. But as Carla Grados-Villamar at 60 Decibels and Lucas Conrado at Estímulo explain, inclusive finance is not just about disbursing loans — it’s about understanding entrepreneurs’ realities and adapting accordingly. They share findings from 60 Decibels' interviews with over 400 Estímulo loan applicants, highlighting lessons lenders can use to improve business outcomes for borrowers, and prepare non-borrowers for future credit opportunities. (In celebration of our 20th anniversary, NextBillion is highlighting key articles from our decades of coverage of different sectors on our homepage below, with a current focus on education.)
- Categories
- Finance
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RADIANT YACU of Rwanda Wins European Microfinance Award 2025
"RADIANT YACU’s model bundles affordable hospital cash and funeral cover with microfinance services, leveraging group structures to make enrolment simple and premiums sustainable."
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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IFC Commits $6 Million to First Circle Capital to Back Early-Stage Fintech Growth in Africa
"Founded and managed by a female-led executive team, First Circle operates from offices in Kampala (Uganda) and Casablanca (Morocco) and is registered as a limited partnership in Delaware."
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up: Bhutan and Fiji’s Contrasting Paths to Digital Transformation Reveal the Pros and Cons of Government and Market-Driven Approaches
The pursuit of digital competitiveness — the capacity and readiness to adopt digital technologies — has led to remarkable success stories in emerging markets, transforming public infrastructure and enhancing the delivery of social and financial services. But as Neeraj Lekhwar and Garima Singh at FinValue Advisors explain, this path remains challenging for many nations — particularly small countries. They share insights from a FinValue study involving Bhutan and Fiji: two countries with comparable sizes and socioeconomic structures that have approached their digital transformation very differently. The policy paths they've taken present contrasting examples of digital adoption strategies that provide valuable lessons for other small markets.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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ADB Approves $30 Million Loan for GCash’s Fuse Financing to Boost MSME Lending
According to the ADB, Fuse’s new project aims to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion by expanding MSMEs’ access to financing, particularly in underserved and marginalized areas.
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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African Fintech Driving Financial Inclusion Closes Funding Round With Over $200 Million
Moniepoint, which focuses on driving financial inclusion for MSMEs and individuals, received an additional $90m backing, after initially raising $110m in October 2024, including from several impact investors.
- Categories
- Finance, Investing, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Honest’s $140 Million Boost: Can Indonesia’s Fastest-Growing Credit Card Startup Redefine Consumer Finance?
Backed by global investors and fresh capital, Jakarta-based Honest is betting on speed, digital-first products, and financial inclusion to challenge traditional banks.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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The Bank of Industry and Bumpa to Empower 200 Youth-led MSMEs
"The collaboration, implemented under the youth and skills thematic area of the bank, aims to address the critical challenge of market access for young entrepreneurs . . . "
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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