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M-Pesa: Kenya’s mobile money success story turns 10
Smartphone payments are gaining ground in the US, but mobile money is old news in Kenya. The majority of the East African country's population is subscribed to a mobile payment service, and the most popular choice is M-Pesa, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in March 2017. M-Pesa -- "pesa" means "money" in Swahili -- has made a dramatic impact over this time.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Are venture funds missing out on a huge India opportunity?
Are venture funds missing the wood for the trees in India? Even while there is talk of a suspected slowdown in startup funding, the amount of money sloshing around is large. But how much of an impact is it having, and why is the average Indian not being affected by it? For that, you have to pause and take another look. What do you see?
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Securitization portfolio of Indian microfinance industry plummets in Q3 due to note ban
The cash-intensive microfinance industry’s securitisation portfolio plummeted in the quarter ended December because of demonetisation, according to a report released on Thursday by Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN).
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Meet The App That’s Empowering The Women Of Myanmar To The Bank
Financial inclusion is a topic of growing importance in countries such as Myanmar, where advances in tech are rapidly changing the dynamics in how people access financial products. As I wrote in 2016, fintech companies are capitalizing on Myanmar’s rapid development and increasing smartphone and internet penetration by offering digital financial products.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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India wants to make credit and debit cards obsolete for payments
Ever since India invalidated much of its cash, it has been encouraging its citizens to switch to mobile wallets and other epayment solutions. Today, it took another step in pushing its citizens to embark on the cashless payment solutions — but early boomers aren't going to like it. The Indian government has launched BharatQR Code to enable people to pay for things they purchase without swiping their plastic cards. Instead, merchants can ask shoppers to scan a QR code and make payments directly from their bank account.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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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.
- Categories
- 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.
- Categories
- Environment, Impact Assessment, Investing
- Region
- North America
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