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Client Outcomes Data in Microfinance: Few Have It But Everybody Needs It
Many recent studies have found that microfinance has no impact, or minimal positive impact, on clients’ lives. To find out why and to fix the problem, financial service providers need client outcomes data, but few FSPs collect it because they think it would be too expensive and time-consuming. Turns out, according to the SPTF Outcomes Working Group, it's not.
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- Uncategorized
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Social Business Roundup: Transaction-Fee Wrangling and a Reason to Pay Attention at Your Next Conference
M-Pesa (finally) moves toward fee transparency ... but it didn't take banks long to react. That's one insight in our weekly roundup. We also zone in on high-level impact investing discussions held 1,600 miles apart, The MacArthur Foundation's tightening focus on world-changing ideas, India's cash crackdown and why it could pay to pay attention at trade shows.
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- Investing
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ImpactAssets Releases Annual IA 50 Impact Investment Fund Showcase
ImpactAssets has released its 2016 impact investing showcase, the ImpactAssets 50 (IA 50), a free online resource for investors and financial advisors. The sixth annual list provides a diversified overview of fund managers representing private debt and equity investments that deliver social and environmental impact as well as financial returns.
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- Environment, Impact Assessment, Investing
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- North America
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The Hidden Cost of Digital Convenience
Technology has the potential to reduce costs and provide added financial benefits to poor clients, but a new paper discusses a downside to digitizing group microfinance transactions; namely, a reduction in group cohesion and sensitivity to transaction fees. Innovations for Poverty Action and others are partnering with product designers and microfinance groups to overcome these challenges.
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- Uncategorized
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Mastercard Commits to Financially Including Over 150,000 Kenyan Merchants With Masterpass QR
Mastercard commits to empowering over 150,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in Kenya within 2017 by giving them access to Masterpass QR. The mobile driven, Person-to-Merchant payment solution will be introduced through various financial institutions and other partners in the market from February onwards.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Using Evidence to Optimize Savings and Loan Payment Channel Choices
The OPTIX team at BFA, along with partner Banco WWB in Colombia, set out to learn more about various client interactions with financial service providers; for instance, why do clients choose a certain transaction location? The work is designed to help Banco WWB strengthen their business while creating a more compelling portfolio of services for their customers’ needs.
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- Finance
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How the mobile can power digital India
The call for digital cash, or going cashless, has never been as loud and clear as it has been in the past two months across India. One of the positive impacts of demonetisation has been the exploration of alternate methods of payment such as credit and debit cards, online money transfer and payments, use of e-wallets, digital transaction apps such as BHIM, etc. The various means of digital payments have made life a little easier.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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MasterCard Partnering with Kenyan Government to Roll Out New Payment Card
Mastercard is partnering with the local government in Kenya to help address the growing problem of citizens having to move from place to place in order to access and pay for government services.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa