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Reaching ‘an Emerging Market Within an Emerging Market’: JPMorgan Chase and Omidyar back new impact fund aimed at Brazil’s middle class
Entrepreneurs who can deliver high-quality basic services on the cheap are rushing to meet the pent-up demands of Brazil’s 112 million lower- and middle-class consumers. Those entrepreneurs can tap a new source of capital: impact investors - including one backed by JPMorgan Chase and the Omidyar Network - focused on the huge population of Brazilians who make under $10,000 a year.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Social Enterprise
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Where Ethics and the Enterprise Intersect: 1,001 questions at the 2015 Latin American Impact Investment Forum (FLII)
What is an ethical business? During last month’s Latin America Impact Investing Forum (FLII) Avina’s Bernardo Toro, said it clearly: “It is a business that doesn’t prey on people; one that creates real value; one that pays attention to what’s important, not what’s showy.” Simple and to the point, so why do we struggle with it?
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment
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Striving for Consistency: A new guide aims to standardize impact assessments of the growing microinsurance market
Estimates suggest there are close to 270 million microinsurance clients in the developing world, with a potential market estimated at 3 to 4 billion policies. But while assessing the social impact of this growing sector is vital to improving product design, there is a dearth of consistency amongst the impact assessments being conducted. Microinsurance Network created “A Practical Guide to Impact Assessments” to address this challenge.
- Categories
- Education, Health Care, Impact Assessment
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Weekly Roundup – 2/20/15: A Turning Point in the Evolution of Microfinance?
There has been plenty of research questioning the social impact of microcredit. But the latest studies in the American Economic Journal feel far more momentous. Conducted by prominent poverty researchers, and covering six countries on four continents, they consistently undermine the sector’s core social impact claims. NextBillion will cover the Feb. 27 event on the research and the path ahead.
- Categories
- Education, Environment, Impact Assessment
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Disease-fighting Data: In Sierra Leone, tracking Ebola’s economic impact
Bad information has been problematic during the Ebola outbreak. As a result, IPA has been collecting data on the economic impacts of the crisis and is working on piloting and evaluating an electronic contact-tracing system that could substantially improve efficiency and reduce Ebola transmission rates.
- Categories
- Health Care, Impact Assessment
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New Financial Inclusion Innovation in Colombia: Government approves electronic deposits through non-bank entities
Colombia has included financial inclusion as a priority in its national agenda since a very early stage. Last fall, the Colombian Congress took the latest step, passing a law creating a new type of financial institution called Specialized Electronic Deposit and Payment Institutions. The Alliance for Financial Inclusion spoke with a Colombian regulator about the new law.
- Categories
- Finance, Impact Assessment
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‘My Home, Your Business’: A New Evaluation Tool Based on Nearly 100 Cases, 25 Interviews With Firms, Experts in Affordable Housing
Ghost towns built by well-meaning developers and governments can be found in many corners of the world. But these failed projects only tell part of the story. Innovative companies and partners are learning from the past and building houses people want to live in and business models that make investors listen, according to "My Home, Your Business – A Guide to Affordable Housing Solutions for Low-Income Communities.”
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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Finding Realistic Impact Measures for Investors, Entrepreneurs: Presenting Unitus Seed Fund’s new guide for measuring impact
Unitus Seed Fund’s guide includes a common set of metrics that can be applied to any other venture fund. These metrics are detailed with definitions and needs that apply across sectors, with output and outcome level metrics available for different types of businesses to download and use.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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