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Funding for Financial Inclusion Rises to $31 Billion in 2013
Global investment in affordable financial services for the poor has risen by an average seven percent per year since 2011, a World Bank think tank said in a survey released on Wednesday.
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India’s Illicit Moneylenders Aren’t Going Away
Three bank branches stand across the street from Ajay Kumar Jaswal’s vegetable stand. But their loan officers shun his small business, forcing him to pay up to 20% quarterly interest to an illegal moneylender for the roughly $160 he needs as working capital.
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- South Asia
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Mobile Money on the Move: Part Two of Our Interview With Carol Caruso, Senior Vice President, Channels and Technology at Accion
The growth in global mobile connectivity has been astonishing, and perhaps no sector has been more impacted than finance. We spoke recently with Carol Caruso, Senior VP of Accion’s Channels & Technology unit, about the shifting trends and future outlook of mobile finance in part two of this Q&A.
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- Technology
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Ratan Tata, Others Invest in Grameen Capital’s Social Impact Debt Funding Arm
Grameen Capital India, a social impact-focused investment advisory firm, has raised an undisclosed amount in funding from a group of investors, including Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, the holding firm of Tata Group, for a new debt investment vehicle.
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- Impact Assessment
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- South Asia
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You Need a Banking Law to Create a Bank for the Poor
Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank and a proponent of 'social business', a not-for-profit business model to combat unemployment and other social evils, does not mince his words when it comes to micro-credit for the poor. The Nobel Peace Prize winner is dismissive about some recent innovations in the microfinance sector and warns about the direction they are taking. He also believes that micro-credit should be kept outside political influence to run it as a sound financial institution. "The best scenario," he says, "is when a micro-credit bank is owned by the poor." Excerpts from an interview with Shamni Pande:
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- South Asia
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28M Filipinos Covered by Micro-Insurance as of 2014
As of 2014, 28 million Filipinos have micro-insurance coverage, according to the Insurance Commission (IC). The agency sees a continued growth in this segment as more Filipinos turn to micro-insurance for protection and financial security, especially for calamities.
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- Asia Pacific
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Viewpoint: To Reach India’s Rural Poor, Why Not Try Television Banking?
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) was envisioned to provide universal financial inclusion to rural and urban households. The mission includes not only providing universal banking access to all households but also micro-insurance. The government and commercial banks have accomplished the remarkable feat of opening 12.8 crore accounts within the last six months. While this is a laudable achievement, a number of issues related to servicing these accounts, mostly in remote and far-flung areas, may need to be addressed.
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- Technology
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- South Asia
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NexThought Monday – Everybody Loves M-Shwari: So why isn’t everybody using the mobile banking service?
M-Shwari, a mobile service that offers access to formal credit and savings in Kenya, has received tremendous attention from the media, as well as praise from digital financial services advocates. But has this attention led to strong consumer awareness, and if so, has that awareness translated to improved financial access? InterMedia shares the results of their long-term evaluation.
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