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Nachiket Mor: The Business Of Morality
In India, businesses and businessmen, particularly from the private sector, have always been viewed with some suspicion. Given our underlying socialist ethos, this is perhaps not surprising, but in recent times, this has worsened with reportage about the various means that some businesses have used to gain an advantage, be it bribing government officials and elected representatives, indulging in coercive practices with their customers, misusing monopoly power, concealing information, or ill-treating employees.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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World Bank unit, MasterCard Foundation boost crucial small loans in Africa
A World Bank partner devoted to developing the private sector and The MasterCard Foundation will spend millions of dollars so more impoverished Africans can get loans and other financial services, officials said.
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- Uncategorized
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NexThought Monday: How Innovative Financing Mechanisms Are Helping Afghanistan’s Farmers
It’s not easy to improve farmers’ livelihoods in any developing country. Add in ongoing violence, feeble institutions, and some of the lowest living standards in the world, and the task can seem nearly impossible. But in August 2010, a project team from DAI landed in Afghanistan to do just that—by implementing USAID’s Agricultural Credit Enhancement (ACE) program, which aimed to lend $100 million to farmers and agribusinesses to invest in agriculture across the country.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Education
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Via London and Seattle, Microfinance and Carbon Credits Intersect in Ulaanbaatar
In the Mongolian capital city of Ulaanbaatar, more than a quarter of the population lives in “gers,” the traditional and ubiquitous tent-like structures, which are often insulated and heated by inefficient coal-burning stoves that contribute to stifling air pollution. A new multi-player partnership to finance carbon credits and energy efficiency aims to change that.
- Categories
- Environment
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How Tony Elumelu’s ‘Africapitalism’ Aims to Redefine African Economic Development
Tony Elumelu did not set out to create social change during his tenure at the helm of United Bank of Africa. "We wanted to democratize banking – at the time, it was an economic, not a social act,” he said during a keynote speech the Global Philanthropy Forum. Elumelu turned the failing Nigerian bank United Bank of Africa (UBA), which was purchased in 1997 for $5 million, into a multi-billion dollar financial services powerhouse. Elumelu is now taking his learnings from this experience to redefine strategies for African economic development.
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- Uncategorized
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Can SKS Change Its Spots?
After being the bad boy of microfinance, SKS is now trying to pick itself up and transform into a more cost-effective, diversified organization.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Microplanet Technologies Names Daryl Skoog, Former Head of Opportunity International MIS, as Executive Director
MicroPlanet brings together a world-class team of technology professionals to support microfinance sector
- Source
- Press Release
- Categories
- Education, Technology
- Tags
- microfinance
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Microfinance Giant Launches Venture Capital Fund For East Africa
Accion, an international microfinance and investment firm, has launched Venture Lab, a $10 million investment vehicle which will provide seed capital and management support to financial inclusion startups worldwide, with a particular focus on East Africa and India.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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