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Financial Health and the Coronavirus: Another Failure to Prepare
Even before the coronavirus crisis, global financial health was surprisingly precarious, with many people unprepared to weather a significant financial shock. As Elisabeth Rhyne points out, this issue is becoming painfully clear now that the pandemic is causing mass disruptions in income and employment. She explores the lasting consequences this will have, and calls on policymakers to provide relief now – and to make financial health an urgent priority going forward.
- Categories
- Finance
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Will the Coronavirus Pandemic Push Africa’s Mobile Money Markets to the Next Level?
Kenya is arguably the world's top mobile money market, and one reason for its success is that a “trigger” event – the post-election violence of 2008 – forced the rapid, large-scale adoption of mobile payment services. Jill Lagos Shemin explores how the unique demands of the coronavirus pandemic could prove to be a similar catalyst for mobile money growth in other countries, and how providers and other stakeholders can build upon this momentum to create more inclusive digital ecosystems for underserved customers.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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An Overlooked Obstacle to Digital Finance in Nigeria: How Persistent Right of Way Issues Have Hindered Financial Inclusion
Mobile financial services have rapidly boosted financial inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa. But the region’s largest economy, Nigeria, has consistently failed to keep pace with its peers. Many analysts have attributed this to the country’s regulatory caution, but according to Olayinka David-West and Ibukun Taiwo at the Sustainable and Inclusive Digital Financial Services initiative of the Lagos Business School, there's an even more fundamental obstacle the country must overcome.
- Categories
- Finance, Telecommunications
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Jumia Adapts Pan-African E-Commerce Network in Response to COVID-19
Jumia will donate certified face masks to health ministries in Kenya, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Nigeria and Uganda, drawing on its supply networks outside Africa.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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How Can Inclusive Finance Help in a Pandemic?
We were huddled in a routine team discussion at FSD Kenya when we received news of the first confirmed Covid-19 case in Kenya. We began thinking about how we could help our communities through the uncertainty and how the financial sector can help navigate these challenging times.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Coronavirus Will Be Even Worse For Low-Income People And Businesses, But Fintechs Can Help
Around the world, financially insecure people are fundamentally more susceptible to financial shocks like coronavirus, and the current crisis is bringing the challenges this population faces into stark relief. Innovative, inclusive fintech is crucial for weathering this pandemic
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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Press Release: VisionFund International Brings Financial Inclusion to Refugees in West Nile Settlements
VisionFund is the first microfinance organisation to serve refugee groups at scale with group loans in Palorinya settlement.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Financial Inclusion: Mexico Plans a Bank-Building Spree
Financial inclusion has long been a problem in Mexico. Less than half of the population has a bank account. The credit-to-GDP ratio is around 34% – stubbornly low relative to comparable countries in Latin America.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Latin America
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