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Togo: Microfinance Institutions Slow Down on Lending as Overdue Loans Spike Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, microfinance institutions active in Togo considerably lowered loans to the public in the nine first months of 2020.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Two Former Coinbase Employees Are Building a DeFi Lending Protocol for Emerging Markets
A pair of former Coinbase employees are launching a new protocol that aims to advance one of the DeFi space’s primary use cases — decentralized lending — in the world’s emerging markets.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Press Release: The Risk Management Association Survey Finds ESG Investing and Securities Lending Can Coexist
A new survey of leading institutional investors released today by The Risk Management Association (RMA) revealed that 95% of respondents believe that securities lending activities can coexist with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing
- Tags
- ESG, governance, impact investing, lending
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Viewpoint: COVID-19 Lockdown: How Digital Lenders Can Contribute To Financial Inclusion in India
By introducing non-traditional sources of credit to a credit-starved population and small businesses, fintech lenders can help people get easy access to capital.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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How COVID-19 Will Reshape Islamic Finance Markets
Since the inception of the Islamic finance industry in the 1970s, there has been a steady growth in demand for sharia-compliant products and services and the industry’s total assets reached US$2.5 trillion globally in 2019.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Tags
- ESG, lending, microfinance
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Tackling the COVID-19 Coffee Crisis: Can Blockchain Strengthen the Link Between Producers and Buyers?
COVID-19 is having a major negative impact on many sectors, and the coffee industry is no exception. The closing of restaurants and cafes has reduced consumption, and according to Isabel van Bemmelen at the Progreso Foundation, coffee producers have been especially hard hit. She explores a blockchain-driven solution that could help producers survive the pandemic.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Coronavirus, Transportation
- Tags
- blockchain, COVID-19, employment, lending
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Solving the Credit Impasse: How Big Data and AI are Generating Funding Opportunities for Smallholder Farmers in Africa
Smallholder farmers provide over 80% of the food in much of the developing world, making a major contribution to poverty reduction and food security. Yet as Iftin Fatah at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation points out, in Africa, less than 3% of total bank lending goes to the sector – even though it accounts for about 70% of all employment and over 40% of GDP. She explores some innovative, tech-driven solutions to this perennial problem.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
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Silicon Valley-Backed App Lenders Use Phone Data to Hassle Borrowers
Silicon Valley venture capital is funding a wave of fintech startups in India that use data from borrowers’ cellphones to collect on debts in ways that are illegal in both India and the U.S.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- fintech, lending, regulations
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