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Leveraging the Currency of Trust: How Social Commerce Data Can Inform Risk Management and Bring Formal Finance to Women-Led MSMEs
Across emerging markets, millions of women entrepreneurs operate in trust-based economies invisible to formal credit systems. As Nabilla Prita Fiandini and Monica Christy at MicroSave Consulting (MSC) explain, these businesses rely on their social reputations and customer relationships to survive, and often use platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp to market their products. They share insights from a recent MSC report based on surveys and interviews with hundreds of social sellers across Indonesia, exploring how data from these entrepreneurs' social commerce activity can be used to boost their access to formal finance.
- Categories
- Finance
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GoCab: $45 Million Raised To Expand Electric Mobility And Ethical Vehicle Financing Across Africa
Operationally, GoCab said it now employs more than 120 people across five countries and that it generates more than $17 million in annual recurring revenue after roughly 18 months of operations.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Transportation
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Nigeria’s Paystack Moves Into Lending as It Acquires Ladder Microfinance Bank
Despite the number of players in Nigeria’s lending market, there’s still a substantial credit gap for small businesses estimated at around ₦13 trillion in unmet financing.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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German DFI DEG Commits $50 Million to DPI’s Fourth Africa-Focused Private Equity Fund
The vehicle aims to inject capital into mid-tier African companies that are positioned for expansion but lack sufficient access to equity finance.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Gates Foundation to End Financial Inclusion Support in 2030
Transition to purely commercial funding for initiatives will not be ‘quick or simple.’
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Global
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NextBillion’s Most Influential Articles of 2025: Announcing the Winners of Our Annual Contest
We've counted the votes in NextBillion’s “Most Influential Articles of the Year” contest, an annual tradition since 2012. The three winners are listed in this article. Congratulations to these guest writers, and to the other contestants in the contest, whose insights have clearly resonated with our readers this past year. And thank you to everyone who voted — and everyone who read and wrote for NextBillion in 2025. Best wishes for the new year!
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Investing, Technology, Telecommunications
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Press Release: Orange Money Group and Visa Announce a Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Online Payments in Africa
This partnership marks a new milestone in the shared ambition of the two companies: to provide millions of users with a simple, secure, and internationally recognized payment solution.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Building the Financial Services Stack of the Future: Why True Resilience Requires a More Holistic Approach
Over the last decade, financial inclusion has experienced unprecedented progress, as 79% of adults globally now have a financial account compared to 62% 10 years ago. But according to Payal Dalal at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, most financial inclusion initiatives are still organized around verticals like loans, savings and insurance, and delivered through separate providers and channels, which forces customers to piece them together into a comprehensive safety net or growth path. She argues that the financial services stack of the future must address this lack of integration, delivering solutions that meet multiple financial needs simultaneously — while responding to the growing headwinds that individuals and entrepreneurs face today.
- Categories
- Finance
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