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Perspective: There’s a Lot We Still Don’t Know About Libra
Last month, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg spent over five grueling hours answering myriad questions from the members of the House Financial Services Committee on issues like election interference, hate speech, censorship and discriminatory advertising. While it was an important reminder of the many dangers that Facebook already presents to our society, we didn’t actually learn much about the hearing’s ostensible topic: Facebook’s audacious plan to create an association of big businesses to issue a new digital currency called Libra.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- cryptocurrency, fintech
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A Look Into India’s First Digital Village
“We saw the situation in the rest of India, long lines, fights—everyone’s life had come to a stand still. We were amazed,” says Urmila Ben, a resident of Akodara. “People had made such a big deal out of this whole demonetization, but we could not be bothered any less,” says Chintan Patel, the sarpanch, or head of the village. “For us, life went on as usual.”
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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Is Mobile Money Too Expensive in Rwanda?
Despite the growth of mobile money penetration and transactions over the years, much of the money is cashed out or used for airtime purchases.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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MIT: 20 startups using tech to build a more inclusive economy
A “social reputation” algorithm, a crowdsourcing platform for homeless job seekers, a digital credit line for bodega owners, an identity-blind hiring platform. The ideas and inventions of the 2019 MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge finalists are as wide-ranging as the international competition’s boundaries.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Latin America
- Tags
- agtech, cybersecurity, edtech, fintech
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Uber Announces Deeper Push Into Financial Services With Uber Money
The emphasis, at first, will be expanding Uber’s efforts to give its 4 million-plus drivers and couriers around the world access to a mobile bank account so they can get paid after each ride. Under pressure to turn a profit amid competition from new ride-sharing entrants around the world, Uber is betting that by building out its financial ecosystem, it can keep drivers and riders loyal to its platform.
- Categories
- Finance
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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MTN Launches Mobile Money API Hackathon
The Hackathon, run in partnership with Ericsson (MTN’s MoMo technology partner), will give app developers based in Ghana, Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Zambia the opportunity to create innovative financial and transactional applications using the MTN MoMo API platform.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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How to Understand Why Zimbabwe Is Bringing Back the Zim Dollar and the Limits of Mobile Money
Zimbabwe is trying to bring back its “Zimdollar” currency and not for the first time. Ten years since the troubled national currency was essentially destroyed by years of hyperinflation, central bank officials and a few strategic government insiders have been hinting or openly discussing the need for its return.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- digital finance, fintech
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Five Fintech Solutions For Refugees To Look Out For
More initiative concentrated around potential solutions for new incomers can be displayed in the upcoming Fintech Solutions for Refugees Bank Summit in which selected Fintech providers will receive the possibility to work with companies like PayPay in order to release new or upgrade existing solutions.
- Categories
- Finance
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