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Why cross-border payments are the next innovation frontier
Market analysts have predicted that cross-border payments are the next frontier where innovative technologies will challenge the existing expensive, clunky business models.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Post offices are key to scaling up remittances and financial inclusion in Uganda
The new project, “Scaling Up Remittances and Financial Inclusion in Uganda,” will provide remittances services in poor rural communities as well as in refugee settlements, many of which are taking in those fleeing conflict and food insecurity in neighbouring South Sudan.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Wider, deeper VC investment needed for Indian and African mobile money firms, says Gates Foundation report
In excess of 233 million and 60 million people in India and East Africa respectively still lack formal bank accounts and 50% of small businesses don't have access to formal credit.
Financial technology (fintech) enabled firms such as M-Pesa in Kenya, which provides mobile payment, saving and credit facilities to 30 million people in East Africa, and the Paytm giant mobile m-commerce operation in India that claims 200 million users, are still the exception in terms of providing access to financial services for poor people.- Categories
- Uncategorized
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MetLife Releases Annual Corporate Responsibility Report
The report, titled Global Impact, includes information on MetLife’s leadership on climate issues and social impact investing as well as our efforts to make our products more accessible and easier to use, enhance customer service, and improve employee wellness. It also details our accomplishments in workplace diversity and MetLife Foundation’s work to improve financial inclusion.
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- Investing
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It’s Time to Match Tools with Our Understanding of Consumers and Financial Inclusion
Established in 2015 as a resource centre to help find new ways to use data to assist the financial inclusion community, insight2impact recently released its "i2i Measurement Framework Note series." The document introduces a new theory and set of measurement frameworks designed to help stakeholders achieve their good intentions and is underpinned by three key insights.
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- Uncategorized
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Why mPesa will not be an instant hit in Nigeria
Having since expanded to 10 additional countries within and outside (Albania, Romania, Afghanistan and India) the African continent, mPesa has grown to a platform with over 29.5 million active customers and 287,400 agents. In 2016 alone, it processed about 6 billion transactions, at a peak rate of 529 transactions per second.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Inclusive Fintech: Four Lessons for Optimizing Customer and Tech Journeys
Catalyst Fund – a unique accelerator model that provides direct and tailored technical assistance to complement a startup’s skill sets – spent the past year working directly with early-stage fintech businesses in emerging markets. Here are some of the lessons they gathered, both on the tech side and the customer side. A key takeaway: Trust is slowly built but easily destroyed.
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- Finance, Technology
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Why India needs to work on financial literacy now more than ever
India is home to 17.5% of the world’s population but nearly 76% of its adult population does not understand even the basic financial concepts. Empirical evidence shows that digital efforts on financial education have had a far greater impact than the traditional media.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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