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Ghana Receives Support to Strengthen its Financial Sector and Promote Inclusion
“This project will support Government’s plan to undertake reforms to deepen financial markets, promote inclusion, enhance the supervision and regulation of specialized deposit-taking financial institutions in line with Ghana’s National Financial Inclusion and Development Strategy,” said Henry K.G. Kerali, World Bank Country Director for Ghana.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Kenyan president proposes tax hike on money transfer services
Kenya’s biggest mobile phone operator Safaricom said in June it is opposed to a proposed tax rise on mobile phone-based transfers, arguing that it would likely mostly hurt the poor, most of whom do not have bank accounts and rely on mobile transfer services such as Safaricom’s M-Pesa.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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$300 Million Loan to Boost Filipinos’ Access to Financial Services
The project will help the government strengthen the country’s institutional and policy environment for expanding financial services, invest in support networks and infrastructure such as the national retail payment system and the new national identification system, and improve the abilities of financial institutions, including rural banks, to offer financial products, particularly through the application of new technologies.
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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The Blockchain Experiments Have Begun: Here’s What They Could Yield for Business and Development
The buzz around blockchain is loud. But despite the widespread attention the tech has generated, it has yet to live up to its potential to make a major impact in low- and middle-income countries, according to Akhtar Badshah of Catalytic Innovators Group. Badshah profiles blockchain success stories from the for-profit, social enterprise and development sectors alike, arguing that if more organizations would give the tech a chance, they (and their beneficiaries) could tap into its great potential.
- Categories
- Technology
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Press release: MetLife Named to the 2018 Dow Jones Sustainability Index
“MetLife is committed to delivering value for all of its stakeholders,” said Mike Zarcone, MetLife executive vice president and head of Corporate Affairs. “It is the nature of our business to create value for the world at large, and we are proud to be recognized by DJSI for the continued progress we are making to be a more sustainable company.”
- Source
- Press release
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Press release: Airfox Partners with Brazilian Retail Giant on Mobile Blockchain Financial Services
Airfox offers a mobile digital wallet that is already accessible in the Brazilian market nationwide and will eventually also be available in other emerging markets. This new collaboration allows Airfox to extend its mobile digital wallet to Via Varejo's national customer base and drive mainstream adoption.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Latin America
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From Financial Inclusion to Employment: Four Ways Superplatforms Will Shape Africa’s Future
Perhaps surprisingly, young people in sub-Saharan Africa and other low-income countries haven't embraced digital payments to the extent of their older peers. But that may be changing as "superplatforms" like Alibaba and Facebook – which can leverage their data and tech capabilities over multiple sectors – emerge in the region. David Porteous and Amolo Ng’weno of BFA and Olga Morawcynski of Mastercard Foundation discuss four ways these tech platforms will shape youth employment, financial inclusion, digital identity and other fields.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Fintech Predicted to Contribute $150 Billion to Africa’s GDP by 2022
“If you look at the value chain, most of that money is coming out of mobile-phone companies,” Osano said. “So from the other support services the contribution is not much, but is expected to increase as fintech develops to address the financial needs of people or making services more accessible.”
- Categories
- Finance, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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