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Viewpoint: How Mobile Banking Can Protect Refugees
“Mean spirited”, “inhumane” and desecrating the spirit of the Refugee Convention are some of the milder criticisms levelled at Denmark’s harsh new asylum laws, passed last week. Among new measures is a decision to strip new arrivals of any cash and valuables worth more than 10,000 kroner (US$1,450), purportedly to pay for their upkeep. Switzerland and some southern German states have introduced similar policies.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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India: Moving a Billion People into Digital Finance
Digital finance has great potential to improve life for consumers and merchants in India. But the lack of familiarity has impeded digital money’s growth in the country. This lack of awareness exists despite India Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s national mission for financial inclusion.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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OPIC Enters Into $250 Million Partnership with Bayport to Advance Financial Inclusion
Bayport Management Ltd, a leading emerging market financial services group, today announced the closing of a $250 million senior debt facility with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation which will support the group’s financial inclusion and growth agenda across its operations.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Leaping Into the Future: Nigeria’s Rural Microfinance Community Gets Connected Using Stellar and Oradian
In the 1970s, microfinance began to take off as people started extending credit to small businesses and farmers as a way of getting them out of poverty. Microfinance works: the only problem is it's hard to scale; it's time-consuming and expensive to disburse and collect loans for instance. People are not able to transfer money within the country because they can't get normal bank accounts or afford to pay 20% for traditional remittance/money transfers.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Weekly Roundup: Zika’s Super Challenge, LeapFrog’s Play, American Express’ Retreat
Our editors discuss three recent developments in the global development/social business space, including a disheartening new global health crisis, some major impact investing news, and a setback in the mainstreaming of the financial inclusion agenda.
- Categories
- Health Care, Investing
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A Solution to Urban Blight? Crowdfunding’s Potential to Transform Cities
Lending through peer-to-peer platforms, or "real estate marketplace lending," involves connecting borrowers seeking alternative sources of financing for their real estate investment needs with investors seeking passive income opportunities. As more Americans embrace crowdfunding sort of solutions, we believe cities that were once forsaken can be revitalized and brought back to life.
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- Investing, Technology
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The Exciting Promise of Digital Payments in Peru
With almost 80 percent of Peruvians lacking access to a bank account, it’s clear why Peru’s government has committed so many resources to advancing financial inclusion. However, roughly 65 percent have mobile phones. Recognizing this, the National Strategy focuses on connecting those who have phones to financial services through digital payments adapted to the needs of the population.
- Categories
- Technology
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Mobile Money Fraud Hits Rural Kenya Residents Hard
Mobile money has made lives easier for most people in Africa, but this has not come cheap for the users with con tricksters forever devising means and ways of stealing the money. In Kenya, for example, con men are applying tricks that are more advanced than service providers and users.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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