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Will the Coronavirus Pandemic Push Africa’s Mobile Money Markets to the Next Level?
Kenya is arguably the world's top mobile money market, and one reason for its success is that a “trigger” event – the post-election violence of 2008 – forced the rapid, large-scale adoption of mobile payment services. Jill Lagos Shemin explores how the unique demands of the coronavirus pandemic could prove to be a similar catalyst for mobile money growth in other countries, and how providers and other stakeholders can build upon this momentum to create more inclusive digital ecosystems for underserved customers.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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An Overlooked Obstacle to Digital Finance in Nigeria: How Persistent Right of Way Issues Have Hindered Financial Inclusion
Mobile financial services have rapidly boosted financial inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa. But the region’s largest economy, Nigeria, has consistently failed to keep pace with its peers. Many analysts have attributed this to the country’s regulatory caution, but according to Olayinka David-West and Ibukun Taiwo at the Sustainable and Inclusive Digital Financial Services initiative of the Lagos Business School, there's an even more fundamental obstacle the country must overcome.
- Categories
- Finance
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Coronavirus Will Be Even Worse For Low-Income People And Businesses, But Fintechs Can Help
Around the world, financially insecure people are fundamentally more susceptible to financial shocks like coronavirus, and the current crisis is bringing the challenges this population faces into stark relief. Innovative, inclusive fintech is crucial for weathering this pandemic
- Categories
- Finance
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Financial Inclusion: Mexico Plans a Bank-Building Spree
Financial inclusion has long been a problem in Mexico. Less than half of the population has a bank account. The credit-to-GDP ratio is around 34% – stubbornly low relative to comparable countries in Latin America.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Latin America
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How Can Fintech Startups Address the Financial Inclusion Gap? Three Insights from the Data Standards for Inclusive Fintech
In 2018, over US $110 billion was invested in fintech startups – up 120% from 2017. But will this capital help deliver affordable and accessible solutions to low-income customers at scale? Chrissy Martin Meier at MIX explores why standardized data can highlight gaps in investment, surface promising companies, and more effectively measure inclusion – and how MIX's Data Standards for Inclusive Fintech advance those goals.
- Categories
- Finance
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Visa Partners With Paga on Payments and Fintech for Africa and Abroad
The collaboration reflects a strategy of the American financial services giant to expand in Africa working with the continent’s top startups.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Mobile Banking App Empower Finance Just Closed a $20 Million Series A Round
Another afternoon, another round of funding for a mobile banking app. This time, it’s Empower Finance, a San Francisco-based company that’s headed up by former Sequoia Capital partner Warren Hogarth and which just closed on $20 million in Series A funding from Icon Ventures and Defy Ventures.
- Categories
- Finance
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Online Remittances: Closing The Gender Gap
According to the U.N., remittance sending behaviour of migrant women often involves a higher financial cost as they tend to send smaller amounts of their income more frequently and are subjected to paying more in transactions fees.
- Categories
- Finance
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