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Zimbabwe’s high interest rates, multiple borrowings and growing debts
Zimbabwe's microfinance institutions (MFIs) doled out $170 million worth of loans to clients in the first quarter of the year with the bulk of the funds going towards domestic consumption.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Incentives to lift mobile money uptake
Airtime can be used as an incentive to drive the uptake and usage of mobile money services in countries where its growth has been sluggish.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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From Vision to Reality: RBI ruling brings India one step closer to true financial inclusion
In a recent landmark ruling, the Reserve Bank of India has allowed non-banking financial companies to provide basic services such as bank accounts and transaction services. This paves the way for microfinance institutions to jump into the fray, and could drive true financial inclusion in a country where 720 million people still do not have a bank account.
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- Uncategorized
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Setting a High Bar for Poverty in India
NEW DELHI — It is not uncommon for Indians to stand in a line to receive alms from a politician as he gives away clothes, pots and laptops that would make Apple laugh. This is a custom that has survived from a time when the theater of charity was enough to make the poor feel grateful. But they have since come to regard such alms as political buffoonery and now expect substantial assistance from the government.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
- Region
- South Asia
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Safaricom and Kenya Commercial Bank Partner to Counter Equity’s Mobile Money Plan
KENYA Commercial Bank has partnered with Safaricom to offer a new product that converges financial and communication services to take on Equity Bank's planned mobile virtual network operation business.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Nigeria Launches National Bank Verification Scheme
VENTURES AFRICA – As part of the financial inclusion policy of the Financial Sector Strategy (FSS) agenda of ensuring Nigeria becomes one of the top 20 largest economies in the world by 2020, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has advised bank customers in Lagos to register and obtain their Bank Verification Number (BVN).
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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A Really Inconvenient Truth: The documentary “Spent” raises awareness of low-income Americans’ financial plight – but are banks really to blame?
To help spark a national dialogue about improving financial services, American Express sponsored the documentary "Spent: Looking for Change." Produced by the director of "An Inconvenient Truth," the film profiles struggling Americans who are ill-served by the financial industry. But it also illustrates another hard truth: our choices can impact our financial health more than our banks can.
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- Uncategorized
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Mobile Banking Rises Across the Globe
Emerging countries such as China, India and Bangladesh witnessed significant growth in the past 12 months, the Juniper study found.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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