-
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.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
-
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
-
Economy & Nation Defaults rising in MFI loan book post demonetisation
Post demonetisation, the delinquencies in microfinance institutions (MFI) loan books are rising. Ratings agency ICRA recently downgraded its outlook on two prominent MFIs to negative from stable, mainly due to limited currency supply and disruption in borrower cash flows, which hampered overall the collection efficiency of these lenders
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
-
Asian Development Bank and Credit Access Asia Sign $32 Million Deal to Improve Financial Inclusion in Asia
The Asian Development Bank signed a €30 million ($32 million) equity investment agreement with CreditAccess Asia, a holding company headquartered in Amsterdam, that operates microfinance institutions across Asia, currently serving approximately 1.8 million customers, 99.8% of whom are women.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
-
M-Pesa cash ceiling to go up in bid to boost M-Akiba bond
Plans are in the offing to raise the daily mobile money transaction ceiling from the current Sh140,000 to accommodate higher purchases of the M-Akiba product launched on Thursday.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Social Business Roundup: The Problem with Sachets, the Beauty of Rats and the Dark Side of Cross-Selling
Everyone seems to love the products in individually-sized sachets being sold at the BoP ... except for Mother Nature. Ethiopia's only too happy to roll out the welcome mat for some rats with amazing TB-sniffing skills. A questionable cross-selling strategy in South Africa harms a vulnerable population and raises uncomfortable questions about financial inclusion. It's all part of our weekly Social Business Roundup.
- Categories
- Environment, Health Care, Social Enterprise, Technology
-
Starbucks Debuts Mobile App In India
To many, it was a disturbing notion: why was Starbucks taking so long to bring its wildly successful mobile app to its fastest-growing market, India? Almost every day that went by made people only wonder more just what was going on. New word says that it’s finally landing, though, and bringing with it many of the same features that made the original great.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
-
Viewpoint: Cambodia’s interest rate cap will hurt rural families
On March 13, the National Bank of Cambodia announced a major new policy. Starting April 1, all microfinance institution operating in Cambodia will be required to lend at interest rates no higher than 18 percent per year. This is a deeply misguided regulation that will undo over a decade’s worth of successful financial policies.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter, "NextBillion Notes"
Published each Wednesday, our e-newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with a selection of news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage — and regular conference ticket giveaways.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.