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PolicyStreet Raises US $5 Million to Expand Insurance for Gig Workers and SMEs
BlueOrchard's investment reflects growing interest in businesses that combine commercial growth with measurable social impact, particularly around financial inclusion and access to essential services.
- Categories
- Finance, Investing, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Xoom, a PayPal Service, and Flutterwave Enable Direct Money Transfers to Nigeria
By combining Xoom’s expansive reach with Flutterwave’s local compliance and banking partnerships, the two companies are providing a more accessible financial corridor for the continent.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Equity, AfricaNenda and Gates Foundation Partner to Advance Digital Public Infrastructure Across Africa
The collaboration will combine AfricaNenda’s technical expertise, policy expertise, and ecosystem leadership with Equity Group’s extensive regional footprint, digital payments capabilities, and implementation experience to accelerate the adoption of Digital Public Infrastructure across Africa.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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South Africa Fintech Bridgement Raises $20 Million as Banks Back AI-Powered Business Lending
The RMB and Standard Bank funding enables Bridgement to expand its direct lending to SMEs and strengthen its position as a leading online business lender in South Africa.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Airtel Africa Reduces Diesel Dependence
According to the World Broadband Association, the sector accounts for about 2% of global carbon emissions, while operators also have opportunities to reduce emissions through more efficient networks and lower-carbon energy sources.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Kenya’s Terrafy Launched to Build Parcel-Level Land Intelligence for Africa’s Rural Finance Markets
The platform combines field data, geospatial intelligence, verification workflows, and monitoring systems to create institution-ready land records, turning informal land into bankable, monitorable, monetisable assets.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Designing Credit Systems for Informal Economies: Why More Data Alone Is Not Enough
The global financing gap for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) is estimated in the trillions. As Ayokunmi Sodamola argues, the reason for this gap is not that these enterprises exhibit poor financial behaviors — or even that there’s a lack of data that can be used to establish their creditworthiness. It's that standard credit assessment systems aren't designed to capture and interpret the data generated by their informal financial activities. He explores how lenders can build a more integrated approach that treats data, identity, trust, risk and incentives as interconnected layers of a single credit system.
- Categories
- Finance
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Report: South Africa Went Cashless – Except for the Millions Who Didn’t
A new industry report argues that the sector mistook innovation for inclusion and left informal markets behind.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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