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KickStart and VisionFund to Bring Affordable Irrigation to African Farmers
Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are set to benefit from a new partnership between World Vision’s microfinance arm, VisionFund International (VisionFund) and non-profit social enterprise, KickStart International (KickStart). The partners have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide an integrated solution to enable farmers to access, purchase and implement irrigation systems. With ambitious targets, the partnership anticipates 100,000 farmers (and 400,000 children) will benefit from greater access to water for their crops over the next five years.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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How Loan Guarantees Are Unlocking Private Capital for Clean Energy and Sustainable Agriculture
MCE Social Capital, a nonprofit impact investing firm, believes leveraging loan guarantees can unlock private sector capital for the more than 2 billion people who lack access to formal financial services. Over the past couple of years, MCE has expanded its focus to clean energy and sustainable agriculture in an effort to promote macroeconomic stability and a healthy planet.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Investing
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Cambodia caps interest on microfinance loans
The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) has capped interest on microfinance loans to a maximum of 18 percent per year, an unprecedented move that came on the direct orders of Prime Minister Hun Sen, Defence Minister Tea Banh said yesterday – a decision some experts suggested had political overtones and could have unintended negative consequences for the poor.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Easypaisa to part ways with Telenor Pakistan
Telenor Pakistan launched Easypaisa in 2009 with the approval of the State Bank of Pakistan. ProPakistani reported that Easypaisa, which is Telenor Pakistan’s Mobile Financial Services Division, will be transferred to Tameer Microfinance Bank. Telenor Group wholly acquired Tameer Bank last year. At that time, it was announced that Telenor Pakistan will transfer the management of Easypaisa to Tameer.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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Small finance bank licensee Disha’s parent raises Rs500 crore
Fincare Business Services Ltd (Fincare), a financial inclusion platform, on Tuesday announced that it has closed a Rs500 crore transaction with investments from private equity investors TA Associates, True North, Tata Opportunities Fund and LeapFrog Investments.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Pakistan banks embark on financial inclusion
The Pakistani banking sector, which has already been highly profitable, is on track to expand further with millions of new customers set to enter its fold owing to financial inclusion initiatives. The priority target of the Financial Inclusion Plan (FIP) is to raise the number of customers with access to bank accounts and services to 50 per cent of the adult population. The number was 23 per cent in 2015 and 12 per cent in 2008.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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Impact businesses in India are attracting investments with healthy returns
Businesses that tap a large number of customers in the lower-income bracket and are established with a clear social objective are increasingly becoming an attractive asset class in India, as they are globally. In India, while rural micro-credit, and then urban microfinance, saw growth and success over the last two decades, these businesses are now coming to the fore in a growing number of verticals and catching serious investor interest.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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De-Mythifying Financial Education
Many organizations have discovered that it's difficult to bring comprehensive and sustainable financial capability to the BoP. Recognizing that financial education is complex and influenced by the clients' environment, MicroSave has developed a framework for those planning interventions, including four key lessons that should be at the forefront of any design.
- Categories
- Education
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