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‘Blended’ finance is key to achieving global sustainability goals, says report
In a report to be presented on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Business and Sustainable Development Commission found that private sector investors could take advantage of blended finance to gain access to rapidly growing markets in the developing world.
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Everyone’s a winner? How ‘impact investing’ can make money – and do good
Previously the domain of corporations and the wealthy, impact investing is now available to anyone with small amounts of cash to spare - with investments in community cinemas, affordable housing or low cost gyms - from as little as $70.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Has global development reached ‘peak blockchain hype?’
More than simply providing digital identification documents, the system seeks to bring the population out of financial exclusion and address the challenges of the statelessness they face between the bouts of repression that gain international attention, said Noor, who teaches bitcoin mining and trading to Rohingya diaspora.
- Categories
- Technology
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Perspective: If we want to improve global health, we need to tax the things that are killing us
Today, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and I announced the Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health. We are bringing together fiscal-policy, development and health leaders from around the globe, including ministers of finance, to address the enormous and growing health and economic burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The hope is to identify underused fiscal-policy tools to lighten that burden.
- Categories
- Health Care
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IFMR group looks to appoint investment banks for share sale
IFMR group, which provides financial services to lower income population and the companies serving this segment, plans to go public and is in talks to hire investment banks for the same, two people aware of the development said.
- Region
- South Asia
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Report: Improved financial inclusion could boost global bank revenues by US$200b
Driving greater financial inclusion – the availability of affordable, accessible and relevant financial products – will generate sizeable economic benefits, according to the report, boosting GDP by up to 14% in developing economies such as India, and 30% in frontier markets such as Kenya.
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A World Bank economist apologized for unfair country rankings and will redo four years of results
The high-profile rankings are intended to encourage governments to remove obstacles to business and incentivize economic development. The report combines measures of how easy it is for an entrepreneur to start a business, obtain credit, pay taxes and enforce contracts, among other things.
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Global Income Inequality May Fall as Emerging Markets Skill Up
The world will see the number of skilled workers -- those with nine or more years of education -- rise 30 percent to 2.16 billion by 2040, up from 1.66 billion in 2011, according to a new World Bank report. Thanks to their growing populations and investments in education, developing countries are expected to contribute all of those additional educated workers.