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Jamaican government puts forward National Financial Inclusion Strategy
The Government has crafted a National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS), which aims to improve the country’s financial system by 2020. The goal of the NFIS is to create the conditions in which Jamaicans, particularly those who were previously underserved by the domestic financial system, are able to save safely and build up resilience against financial shocks, and firms are able to invest, grow and generate greater levels of wealth.
- Categories
- Environment
- Region
- Latin America
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Study: Many South Africans ill-equipped to make sound money decisions
A considerable portion of South African adults may not be adequately equipped to make key financial decisions, a new financial literacy study has found. While there was broad evidence that South Africans had a positive attitude towards saving, personal and macroeconomic realities often hindered their savings behaviour, Benjamin Roberts, senior research manager at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), said.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Has the Indian Government’s Microloan Scheme Been Successful?
The government’s micro loan scheme, going by the moniker Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, has disbursed Rs1.53 trillion worth of loans so far in 2016-17, which represents a 15.04% growth from the previous fiscal year. Recall that in fiscal year 2016 (FY16), when the scheme was first implemented, disbursements had exceeded the target specified by that year’s budget.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Insurance in Africa: The threat of tech
No insurer wants to see new innovators encroaching on their territory. To outflank them, some are working with these fintech companies to help pursue their own technological projects, reach the continent’s large uninsured populations, develop new products and cut costs.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Indian Entrepreneurs Compete in the Inclusion Plus Final Round
Artoo, Badhti Bachat of Janalakshmi, Shram Sarathi, Suvidhaa Nanocredit and Swadhaar Saathi have been selected as finalists in the third wave of Inclusion Plus, a global competition, managed by Verb, Inc., for entrepreneurs to accelerate financial inclusion.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Fintech Deals in South East Asia Hit Record Numbers in 2016
The total number of venture-backed deals to fintech companies in South East Asia (i.e. Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) reached record highs in 2016 according to data released by CB Insights recently.
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- Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Dollar by Dollar or Goat by Goat: How Financial Health Translates Across Oceans
The Center for Financial Services Innovation, in partnership with the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, explored how a U.S.-oriented financial health framework could translate into a developing world context. They discovered that the concept of financial health resonates just as strongly in lower-income countries as it does in the United States.
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- Uncategorized
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Cambodian MFIs relax stance on rates cap
Microfinance institutions will not object to an 18 percent cap on interest rates which comes into effect on April 1, a senior official from the Cambodia Microfinance Association said. Association president Hout Ieng Tong said yesterday they would not seek a rise in the rate because the government had considered the issue thoroughly before ordering the cap.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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