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‘Back in the U.S.S.D.’: Most Smartphone Owners—Especially Women—Don’t Use Apps for Financial Services
The global transition from basic mobile phones to smartphones has impacted nearly every sector, including financial services. Bryan Pon from Caribou Data considers whether this shift will help or hinder access to mobile money and digital finance for women in emerging markets — a group already less likely to be using these services. He shares the findings of a comprehensive study on how payment system design could impact gender bias in digital finance, and discusses the ongoing popularity — and under-recognized advantages — of old-fashioned USSD codes in mobile money.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology, Telecommunications, Transportation
- Tags
- data, financial inclusion, fintech
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Uruguay-Based Fintech Platform dLocal Raises $150 Million
dLocal, the Uruguay-based fintech platform, announced that the company has raised $150 million in the latest investment round at a valuation of $5 billion.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Latin America
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Accel-Backed Mobile Money Platform Nala to Start Offering Remittance Services to East Africa
In Tanzania, mobile money services can be relatively difficult to use due to unstable internet and high service fees.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- cash transfers, fintech, remittances
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Afriex Raises $1.2 Million Seed to Scale Its Payments and Remittances Platform Across Africa
Sending money from the U.S. to Nigeria can be a painstaking process. For remittance platforms like Western Union, it will cost a transfer fee and take between one to five business days for money sent from a U.S. debit card to enter a Nigerian bank account.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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O-City Partners with the Philippines’ Land Bank to Pilot Digital Payments in Public Utility Vehicles
BPC Technology’s payment division, O-City, is partnering with the Philippines’ Land Bank of the Philippines to pilot the country’s digital payments in Public Utility Vehicles such as buses and jeepneys.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Kuda Raises $25 Million More Led by Valar to Become the Neobank for ‘Every African on the Planet’
Challenger banks continue to make significant advances in attracting customers away from the big incumbents by providing more modern, user-friendly tools to manage their money.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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South Africa Fintech Startup Nomanini Raises $1.5m Funding Round
South African fintech startup Nomanini has raised a new round of funding worth US$1.5 million from new and existing investors to grow its team, invest in product development and scale its offering.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Fund Worth $25-Million Launches for Early-Stage African Tech Startups
Savannah Fund, a technology seed fund focused on investing in early-stage startups across sub-Saharan Africa has announced the launch of a $25-million fund.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa