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Acumen Invests $1 Million in Somalia’s KIMS to Grow Off-Grid Solar
"Sharia-compliant solar financing to boost energy access in Somalia."
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Beyond Affordability: Behavioural Barriers to Uptake of Inclusive Insurance
". . .e-MFP’s own Sam Mendelson explains the mental models that make insurance such a hard ‘sell’, and what behavioural insights teach us about how to increase access and uptake."
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Global
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Ripple Launches Second Blockchain Pilot in Colombia to Empower Smallholder Farmers
Ripple’s new Colombia pilot uses XRP Ledger for traceability and microfinance, targeting 300 smallholder farmers producing panela.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Latin America
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The Quiet Revival of Microfinance: Why The Sector is Poised for Greater Growth and Impact in 2025 and Beyond
After starting in the 1970s, the microfinance industry had become a global sensation by the early 2000s, only to see its momentum wane over the subsequent decade due to concerns about high interest rates and poor borrower outcomes. But according to Kris Coppock at Five Talents, a number of data points reveal that microfinance has quietly turned a corner in recent years. He explores how the sector is emerging from the malaise that defined the past decade, driven by a lending approach that treats access to capital as just one part of a wider toolkit for building resilience, opportunity and dignity.
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Verdant Capital Expands Investment in LOLC Africa to $13.5 Million, Boosting MSME Financing Across the Continent
"Recognised as one of the world’s leading microfinance groups, LOLC targets customers at the “bottom of the pyramid” by improving access to financial services and increasing customer deposits across underserved communities."
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Beams Fintech Fund Joins Infinity Fincorp’s USD $40 Million Funding Round
With a pan-India presence spanning 127 branches across eight states, Infinity Fincorp claims to have grown its loan book to INR 1,100+ crores as of January 2025.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Fueling Change: The Multiple Impacts of Increasing Liquefied Petroleum Gas Usage in Rural India
To address the negative impacts of cooking with biomass fuel, the Indian government launched a program in 2018 that offers free access to a clean gas cookstove and a refillable cylinder of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). But as Shobhit Mishra and Vaishaly Shrimall at MSC explain, the program faced logistical challenges that limited uptake among rural households. They explore the barriers that hinder the adoption of gas cooking in rural India, and discuss the impact of an MSC program that leverages self-help groups to boost LPG uptake while creating entrepreneurship opportunities for local women.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Finance
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Viewpoint: Indian Microfinance Sector Must Transform Before It’s Too Late
Borrowers are juggling multiple loans—sometimes 6 or more—from MFIs, SHGs, local moneylenders, and even app-based lenders. Field staff are exhausted. Community ties that once held JLGs together are fraying. And loan officers are under pressure, leading to shortcuts, fraud, and rising stress levels.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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