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Press Release: MetLife Foundation Sponsors ‘The Financial Inclusion Challenge’ in Asia
Today, MetLife Foundation announced its exclusive sponsorship and launch of The Financial Inclusion Challenge. The Challenge, developed in partnership with MetLife Foundation and managed by The Wall Street Journal, is a two-year global project launching in Asia with the aim of encouraging non-profit and for-profit enterprises to submit proposals that provide innovative, sustainable solutions for individuals and families struggling to be part of the financial mainstream.
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- Education, Technology
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- South Asia
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New Report Offers Insights into How Young People Save in Developing Countries
A new project from the Center for Social Development (CSD) at Washington University in St. Louis shows, among other findings, that girls in developing countries, given equal opportunities, will save as much or more in formal financial institutions than boys.
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- Education
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3 Reasons India May Be The Next Digital Finance Hotspot: Mondato explores the potential of a rapidly shifting market
Finding the right incentives for merchants to accept digital and mobile payments is a task that many have attempted and few have achieved. But according to Mondato, after flying under the mobile finance radar for a long time, India could be the country that does it. Chris Connolly highlights three ingredients that could make India the next digital finance hotspot.
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- Technology
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INTERVIEW: Muhammad Yunus discusses the Indian microfinance industry
The Nobel laureate and founder of microfinance pioneer Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank says MFIs in India could be greedy and tapping the capital market or raising loans from private equity funds is a bad idea.
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- Uncategorized
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- South Asia
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Asia Steps Up Efforts to Reach the ‘Unbanked’
Across Asia, governments are experimenting with novel ways to widen access to financial services, from using mobile technology for transfers to allowing retail stores to take deposits in remote areas.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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The Mysterious Disappearance of Poverty
How do you help the poor? It is a very old question. The Roman emperor Nero found the answer in the advice of Stoic philosophers like Seneca, and built an awe-inspiring palace covered in gold leaf. This would fill the lower classes with gratitude for being blessed with such a glorious leader. Perhaps not coincidentally, the Roman senate ended Nero’s reign by ordering him to commit suicide four years later.
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Financial Inclusion in Focus in India, but Bank Loans to Micro Sector Fall 5.5%
State-run banks may have created a record with opening of Jan Dhan accounts, but when it comes to lending to the poor, they are actually faltering. Bank loans to the micro sector, the target group of the government's financial inclusion drive and Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), have fallen 5.5% over the last 14 months, according to data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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State-Owned Bank Negara Indonesia Prepares to Launch Branchless Banking Program
State-owned Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) is preparing to expand its electronic money (e-money) service to increase low-cost funds as well as to offer wider banking access.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Asia Pacific