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‘It is Time to Rethink Microfinance’: Exploring a Sector in Transition in the Asia Pacific Region
The Asia Pacific microfinance sector is changing. Its MFIs have seen rampant growth, and the enterprises they serve have financing requirements that are growing more complex. In response, some MFIs are adapting their business models into different types of financial institutions, such as small banks. In short, the sector is evolving from a niche segment to a mainstream industry – with all the challenges and opportunities that implies. The Asia Pacific Microfinance Forum will discuss this evolution in Singapore on October 30-31, bringing together MFIs, NGOs, impact investors, entrepreneurs and others, all committed to building a better world.
- Categories
- Finance
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Ahead of Traditional Banking: How Africa Employs Blockchain For Financial Inclusion
On September 27, at the 73rd Session of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA), Sierra Leone’s president Julius Maada Bio made an announcement where he declared that his country had set a new goal to create a national, blockchain-based credit bureau to “radically transform” the country’s financial inclusion landscape.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press release: FINCA International and USAID PACE launch FINCA Forward, a fintech innovation platform
Emerging fintech businesses are fundamentally transforming financial services, employing new data analysis solutions and digital delivery systems, in ways that can have substantial outcomes for the world's poor.
- Categories
- Finance
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Is Microinsurance Made for India?
Insurance is one of the most vital sectors in India’s financial inclusion plan and yet it is one of the most ignored product lines in the country.
- Region
- South Asia
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The Benefits of Conflict: Why the Tension Between Profit and Purpose is Actually Good for Social Enterprise
Social entrepreneurship is on the rise, yet many entrepreneurs still struggle to convince investors that they can turn a profit while advancing their missions. In researching several social enterprises, Eli Etzioni found that this conflict between profit and purpose is often an obstacle. But his studies also revealed some surprising ways it can lead to “moments of balance, creativity and ingenuity.” He explores how three entrepreneurs leveraged the tension between money and mission for the benefit of their businesses.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
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Sierra Leone, United Nations to Develop Blockchain Digital ID System
The UN Capital Development Fund (UNDCF) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) have entered into a partnership with Kiva, a technology nonprofit. Kiva will lend its institutional protocol of the same name to implement the “Credit Bureau Of The Future.”
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Ripple Announces $105 Million Charity Venture for Education, Financial Inclusion Projects
Ripple for Good will reportedly operate in collaboration with RippleWorks, an existing non-profit that connects social ventures and volunteers with expertise in diverse fields, and counts Ripple executive chairman Chris Larsen as a co-founder. RippleWorks has to date reportedly “worked on 70 projects in 55 countries.”
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Safaricom, Telkom Integrate Mpesa and T-kash Services
The country's mobile money transfer platform is set for a new frontier after the announcement of an integration of Safaricom's and Telkom's services.
- Categories
- Finance, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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