-
M-Pesa boss shrugs off Safaricom split concerns, sees opportunities
"To be honest, I do not lie awake thinking about the challenges rather the opportunities we still have to deliver on,” Safaricom's director for financial services and head of M-Pesa Ronald Webb told the Star in an interview. This was in response to proposed legislation to split the operations of telecommunications firm from mobile money transfer services.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
More banks given go-ahead to roll out mobile cash in Kenya
The number of commercial banks approved by the Central Bank of Kenya to operate interbank mobile money transfer platform, PesaLink, has doubled to 24 from 12. The product was unveiled on February 16.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Africa finds its own path for fintech development
Fintech in Africa remains the most financially supported area of tech start-up activity in the continent. The Disrupt Africa African Tech Startups Funding Report 2016 found that fintechs received a combined $31.4 million in investment during the year.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- fintech
-
Safaricom and mSurvey launch Consumer Wallet to map Africa’s cash economy
Kenya’s leading mobile provider, Safaricom, is teaming up with data collection startup mSurvey to launch Consumer Wallet ― an online platform using mobile and SMS to map Africa’s cash-based economy.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
FinTech’s Elephant Seal Problem
Like the elephant seal, most fintech companies are focused on growing as large as possible. That means they usually choose a free business model to facilitate growth. Kristen Berman and Wendy De La Rosa of the Common Cents Lab say there's a better way: Abandon the free model and focus on removing the true psychological barriers to financial management.
- Categories
- Technology
-
National Microfinance Bank to digitize agricultural sector in Tanzania
National Microfinance Bank Pic (NMB) has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Mastercard to ensure the digitization of the agricultural sector in Tanzania with the roll-out of eKilimo, a mobile solution developed by the Mastercard Lab for Financial Inclusion.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Dymon Asia announces first close of $50M fund for fintech, focused on Southeast Asia
Hedge fund Dymon Asia is getting into the venture capital game after it announced its maiden fund. Dymon Asia Ventures is focused on fintech deals and it is targeting a $50 million raise. Today, its founding partners disclosed a first close of $20 million from a range of LPs that include Thai bank Siam Commercial (SCB), which invested an undisclosed sum via its Digital Ventures arm.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- fintech, venture capital
-
Don’t Call It A Robo: Motif Launches Custom Automated Impact Investing
Advisors late to the impact investing game may have missed their chance -- there’s now a digital platform for that. Silicon Valley-based Motif Investing is introducing Motif Impact, a values-oriented digital investing solution.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
- Region
- North America
Subscribe to Our 'Business in Global Development' Newsletter!
Our new weekly LinkedIn newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with curated news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage of impact-focused business in emerging markets.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.