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BII and Swedfund Report Reveals over $200 Billion Funding Gap for Black-Owned and -Led Businesses Across Five African Markets
The report, Understanding the investment gaps in Black-owned and -led businesses in sub-Saharan Africa, combines quantitative market analysis with stakeholder consultations to examine where these businesses are represented, the scale of their funding gaps and the factors shaping access to capital.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Is the World Bank to Blame for the Cambodian Microfinance Crisis?
For the past five years, Cambodia’s microfinance sector has been experiencing a major over-indebtedness crisis. And as inclusive finance consultant Daniel Rozas explains, despite multiple warnings that the sector was overheating, IFC, the World Bank’s private investment arm, poured fuel on the flames by investing in the largest and fastest-growing of the country's leading microfinance institutions. Making matters worse, after an investigation by IFC’s own ombudsman concluded that clients had been harmed due to its failure to monitor the social risks created by its investments, its board dismissed those findings. He explores how the industry went off the rails in Cambodia, and argues that IFC not only worsened the crisis, it helped undermine the sector’s own efforts to avert it.
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NADF, German Firm Partner on Climate-Resilient Agricultural Finance
"The partnership is also expected to support the development of new or improved financial products for smallholder farmers, particularly those designed around the growing risks posed by climate change to agricultural production."
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: World Bank Group Launches Initiative to Help Local Financial Institutions Expand Digital Payments in Emerging Markets
". . . the initiative is expected to increase competition and improve the quality and accessibility of payment services."
- Region
- Global
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Mastercard Launches Wallet Pay to Scale Digital Wallets Worldwide
Harnessing the industry’s most advanced capabilities, Mastercard Wallet Pay solutions empower wallet providers to deliver frictionless experiences — from everyday spending to cross-border transfers – meeting the demands of a rapidly expanding digital economy.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Global
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Africa Ecosystem Catalysts Facility Expands into Nigeria with USD 450K in First Investments
Backing Trade Lenda and AirSmat, Nigerian startups advancing financial inclusion and climate-smart agriculture through fit-for-purpose capital.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise, WASH
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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African Development Bank and AXIAN Launch Digital Finance Programme to Support 34,000 Women-led Businesses in Africa
Supported by the African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative and the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), the programme aims to address one of the biggest constraints facing women-owned businesses in Africa – limited access to finance.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Analysis: Dismissing Microfinance Won’t Help Solve Global Poverty
Microfinance isn’t a cure-all solution to poverty, but abandoning it would ignore the real evidence that responsible financial services make a positive, lasting impact on people’s lives.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Global
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