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Will the Coronavirus Pandemic Push Africa’s Mobile Money Markets to the Next Level?
Kenya is arguably the world's top mobile money market, and one reason for its success is that a “trigger” event – the post-election violence of 2008 – forced the rapid, large-scale adoption of mobile payment services. Jill Lagos Shemin explores how the unique demands of the coronavirus pandemic could prove to be a similar catalyst for mobile money growth in other countries, and how providers and other stakeholders can build upon this momentum to create more inclusive digital ecosystems for underserved customers.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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Press Release: Blue Planet Raises US$25 million from Nomura
This strategic engagement by Nomura's Loans and Principal Investments Area in Asia ex-Japan will help Blue Planet continue its efforts to develop integrated, inclusive and sustainable waste management solutions around the region.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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How Can Inclusive Finance Help in a Pandemic?
We were huddled in a routine team discussion at FSD Kenya when we received news of the first confirmed Covid-19 case in Kenya. We began thinking about how we could help our communities through the uncertainty and how the financial sector can help navigate these challenging times.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Enterprise in the Time of Coronavirus: How NextBillion and the Businesses We Cover Are Responding to the Pandemic
As the coronavirus pandemic spreads around the world, it will have an immense impact on emerging markets communities and the businesses that serve them. So we wanted to take a moment to explain how NextBillion will be responding to these extraordinary times. We’re instituting a number of measures that will affect our coverage of coronavirus and other topics in the coming months.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Health Care, Social Enterprise
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Press Release: DFC Approves Nearly $900 Million for Global Development Projects
The projects approved will expand access to clean water, bolster marine conservation, and improve the availability of secure telecommunications.
- Categories
- Telecommunications
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Closing in on the SDG Home Stretch: A Q&A with Florian Kemmerich and Lucica Ditiu at SDG500
Six new funds comprise the new SDG500 initiative – a first-of-its-kind, $500 million investment platform aimed at accelerating progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Florian Kemmerich at Bamboo Capital Partners and Lucica Ditiu of the Stop TB Partnership spoke with NextBillion to share a behind-the-scenes look at how the initiative aims to reach its goals by 2030.
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USAID Head to Resign Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
The head of the United States Agency for International Development will step down next month from the nation’s premier arm for humanitarian aid in the midst of a snowballing pandemic.
- Categories
- Coronavirus
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GSMA Report: Big Gender Gap in Mobile Internet Access
The study finds that the mobile internet gender gap has narrowed and 54 per cent of women in low- and middle-income countries now use mobile internet, up from 44 per cent in 2017. However, the underlying gender gap in mobile ownership remains largely unchanged
- Categories
- Technology
