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The Indian start-up that may sideswipe Apple Pay
With 900 million mobile phone users and a sophisticated biometric digital ID issued to every citizen, India is increasingly attractive to companies that provide mobile financial services.
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- Technology
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- South Asia
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Mobile wallet Mobikwik’s cash-back scheme runs afoul of Indian regulators
Mobile wallets company Mobikwik has withdrawn a scheme where it offered a “6% annual profit” to customers who maintain a monthly balance of at least Rs.5,000 in their mobile wallets.
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- Technology
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- South Asia
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International Finance Corp bets big on India’s microfinance sector
The World Bank affiliate IFC is set to invest Rs 300 crore in TPG Capital and Citigroup backed-Janalakshmi Financial Services and another Rs 135 crore in CreditAccess Asia promoted Grameen Koota Financial Services.
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- South Asia
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Viewpoint: Why M-Pesa ‘will never work in South Africa’
In the wake of Vodacom's decision to close down its M-Pesa mobile money service in South Africa at the end of this month, a pioneer of mobile financial services for the mass market has said mobile operators will never be successful in the financial services industry.
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- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Unlocking Empowerment for Poor Customers: Three Tips for Financial Services Providers
We expect financial services to bring several things to the lives of poor people: more options on how to manage their circumstances and opportunities, a sense of confidence and control over their future - a sense of empowerment, in other words. Here are three ways that financial institutions can nurture empowerment among low-income customers through their actions and offerings.
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NexThought Monday: Closing China’s Credit Gap
China's economy is on the path toward becoming more financially inclusive, but because the centralized Credit Reference Agency falls short, there's still a need for a scalable system for credit evaluation. Alibaba-affiliate Ant Financial is trying to provide an innovative solution.
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Viewpoint: Don’t write off India’s payments banks
The withdrawal of three licencees should not be read as a doomsday omen for the idea and underlying rationale. It is too early to write off a well-intentioned idea that puts change and innovation before incumbency. Rather, these withdrawals should be seen as signaling the need for introspection and course-correction to adapt to the fast-changing, competitive landscape of India’s banking and payments sector.
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- South Asia
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Africa: First Lady Roots for Social Entrepreneurship
First Lady Jeannette Kagame has said social entrepreneurship can be one of Africa's most befitting avenues for economic transformation of the continent. The First Lady said social entrepreneurship provide optimal responses to the most pressing needs of societies, such as empowering men and women to make good use of their potential and design creative solutions, to positively impact lives around them.
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- Uncategorized
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- Sub-Saharan Africa