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An Ironic Impact of COVID-19: Will the Pandemic Put Digital Health (Finally) on the Path to Reducing Health Inequalities at Scale in Emerging Markets?
The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a digital health revolution, and Michal Matul and Niti Pall at AXA Emerging Customers say these shifts could help close the healthcare access gap in emerging markets. Based on AXA's work bundling digital health services into its inclusive insurance products across nine countries, they share key lessons on how telemedicine can sustain this momentum and become a viable option for eliminating health inequalities over the long term.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Health Care, Technology
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Analysis: India’s Agrarian Catastrophe and Farmers’ Rebellion
The origins of the farmer protests are rooted in the economic liberalisation of the 1990s, which pushed the agriculture sector into crisis, causing an epidemic of farmer suicides.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Land Bank of the Philippines Lends Over $143 Million to MSMEs and Co-Ops for COVID-19
The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) has approved loans totaling P6.95 billion for 227 borrowers composed mostly of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and cooperatives that are affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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Transforming Microcredit After COVID-19: Why ‘Building Back Better’ Will Require a Radical Reboot of Local Financial Systems in the Global South
Microcredit advocates have expressed the expectation that the industry can play a major role in economic and social recovery in the Global South after the COVID-19 pandemic. But economist Milford Bateman argues that shifting these micro-lending programs into community-owned financial institutions would make a more substantial impact. He shares a roadmap for empowering community-focused economies, and explores how a plan modeled after elements of the U.S.'s New Deal could transform local finance.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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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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How Digital Technology Is Reshaping Rural Microfinance
“When most people think of microfinance, they think of group-lending programs or maybe even mobile money systems like M-Pesa,” said Carter. "But there are other opportunities with mobile phones, satellites and other digital technologies to enhance access to small scale financial services to low-wealth rural households in developing countries.”
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Ethiopia Sees Jump in Mobile Payments Despite COVID-19
COVID-19 has created many disruptions in Ethiopia this year, impacting both merchants and consumers. The World Health Organization warned that paper currency can risk spreading the virus, and encouraged adoption of digital payments as a safer alternative.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: Bamboo Capital Partners Exits CONFIE After Triple-Digit Growth in Loans and Savings Portfolios
Bamboo Capital Partners (“Bamboo”), the specialist impact investor in emerging and frontier markets, today announces its successful exit from CONFIE, a Latin American microfinance investment holding company.
- Categories
- Investing
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