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Financing “Missing Middle” Enterprises in the Age of COVID-19: Leveraging Nontraditional Finance Pathways in Emerging Markets
COVID-19 has made access to capital for small and growing businesses in emerging markets more essential than ever. But according to Julia Kho at Triple Jump and Kusi Hornberger at Dalberg Advisors, these businesses have very different crisis-related financing needs. They explore how finance providers can understand these diverse needs and identify the best approaches to fill them.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Entrepreneurship, Investing
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The Case for Stakeholder Dividends: Why It’s Time for the Financial Sector to Put Its Money Where Its Mouth Is
While the financial devastation of COVID-19 may remind America's working families of the 2008 crisis, Peter Tufano and Timothy Flacke at Commonwealth argue that this time, banks can be the heroes rather than the villains. They explain why this will require banks to make a pivotal choice between enriching their shareholders and supporting their stakeholders – including the country's most vulnerable customers.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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Survival, Recovery and Resilience: 12 Recommendations to Help Financial Institutions Weather the COVID-19 Crisis
COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the 300 million-plus enterprises operating in emerging economies around the world. It has also harmed their financial institutions, which are dealing with poor asset quality, liquidity pressure and reduced profitability as clients struggle to repay loans. Analysts at MicroSave Consulting (MSC) share 12 recommendations to help these institutions survive and recover in the wake of the pandemic.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Entrepreneurship, Finance
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Press Release: Gateway Academy Merges with Digital Frontiers to Strengthen Capacity Building Initiatives
Gateway Academy, the digital learning platform for financial inclusion incubated by the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), is merging with Digital Frontiers, a globally recognized non-profit that focuses on capacity building for the development community.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Stronger Together: Why MIX and the Center for Financial Inclusion are Joining Forces
Yesterday came news that two key players in financial inclusion are joining forces: MIX, for nearly 20 years the chief data resource for inclusive finance, and the Center for Financial Inclusion, a leading independent think tank housed at Accion. Tillman Bruett at DAI and Greta Bull at CGAP discuss the significance of this merger for the organizations and the sector.
- Categories
- Finance
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Liquidity Before Solvency: A Guide for Microfinance Investors in the Time of COVID-19
Among microfinance investors, there's growing concern that the COVID-19 pandemic will push providers toward insolvency, with fewer loans and shrinking portfolios leading MFIs to default on their debt. But Daniel Rozas at e-MFP argues that in a crisis, preserving MFIs’ liquidity must take precedence over maintaining their solvency. To that end, he urges investors to commit to a six-month moratorium on debt repayments from MFIs.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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From the Valley of Death to a $14 Million Series A: Sokowatch, Quona and the Role of Philanthropic Capital
The e-commerce company Sokowatch recently raised a $14 million Series A round, enabling it to expand its digital financial services to more merchants in Africa. But just two years ago, the company was in danger of going under. Malika Anand and Maelis Carraro at BFA’s Catalyst Fund discuss how the fund's philanthropically-funded acceleration approach has helped Sokowatch – and other promising fintech startups – survive the “valley of death” and position themselves for commercial investment.
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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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