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Viewpoint: COVID-19 Is a Call to Action for Regulators to Boost Financial Inclusion
Mobile money transfer and global remittance firms such as Chipper Cash and WorldRemit are particularly vital for migrants who rely on these services to send money home for essentials such as school fees, medical costs or groceries. As the services are increasingly available through mobile devices, they are a particularly efficient instrument in the push toward financial inclusion and the achievement of several UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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The Informal Economy is Complicating Government Responses to COVID-19: Will the Crisis Push Millions Toward Formality?
As COVID-19 devastates the global economy, many governments have designed support measures to help businesses and workers survive. But as Jill Lagos Shemin and James Dailey point out, this support may be ineffective in lower-income countries, where most small businesses and their employees work in the informal economy, lacking bank accounts and even valid ID. They explore some solutions governments can pursue – and trade-offs they will have to accept.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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Africa’s Tech Innovators Spy Opportunity Amid Pandemic
Fintech startups and others in the tech ecosystem are reappraising their services to try and cater to the economically vulnerable who are most affected — an audience that they would hope to retain once the crisis passes.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Solving the Credit Impasse: How Big Data and AI are Generating Funding Opportunities for Smallholder Farmers in Africa
Smallholder farmers provide over 80% of the food in much of the developing world, making a major contribution to poverty reduction and food security. Yet as Iftin Fatah at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation points out, in Africa, less than 3% of total bank lending goes to the sector – even though it accounts for about 70% of all employment and over 40% of GDP. She explores some innovative, tech-driven solutions to this perennial problem.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
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Facebook in Talks Over Mobile Money in Indonesia
Three e-wallet operators interested in working with Facebook Pay to tap into massive Southeast Asian market.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- digital finance, fintech
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Coronavirus Could Spark Demand for E-Wallets, Digital Banks in LatAm
The coronavirus outbreak could drive financial inclusion in Latin America, as governments look for agile partners to distribute state aid and large segments of the informal economy grapple with restricted access to cash.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- Latin America
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In Africa, COVID-19 Crisis Puts Squeeze on Millions Who Rely on Remittances
Remittances amount to 5% of GDP in at least 13 African countries. For some, like tiny Lesotho, they amount to 23% of its annual income. With stay-at-home orders throwing millions out of work in Western countries, millions of Africans are feeling the pinch.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- fintech, remittances
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Brazil Undertakes Massive Tech-Enabled Financial Inclusion Exercise With “Coronavoucher”
Millions of unbanked citizens are receiving the government's emergency financial aid through a mobile app.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
- Region
- Latin America
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