-
Extending access to credit: Are alternate finance platforms creating tangible impact in India?
Having recently been brought under the regulatory ambit by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the thought was that the nascent online P2P lending sector can play a significant contribution towards furthering the cause of financial inclusion.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
-
In a World of 5 Billion Mobile Phone Users, ID Policy Needs to Catch Up – Fast
With a global subscriber base of over 5 billion, the mobile ecosystem has created a digital platform that is increasingly connecting everyone and everything. Yet millions risk exclusion from this network – and the social, digital and financial exclusion this implies – due to lack of proof-of-identity. A new GSMA report offers a global perspective of the trends and linkages between access to mobile and access to official identification - and explores solutions for reducing the "identity gap."
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
-
Press release: Accion and MetLife Foundation Announce Expanded Partnership to Advance Financial Inclusion
MetLife Foundation provides $5.4 million to Accion for programs in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia to leverage digital solutions to enhance underserved customers' financial capabilities and engagement
- Categories
- Finance
-
Report: Africa’s mobile money operators lean towards regional interoperability
Although mobile money interoperability inside most African markets is staggered, mobile money platforms in East, West and Central Africa have opened up cross border mobile money transfers.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Kenya won’t force a spin-off of the world’s leading mobile money service after all
Almost exactly a year ago, a report from an independent consultant to Kenya’s telecoms regulator, sparked uproar and panic. It recommended the government look into breaking up the dominant mobile operator Safaricom by spinning off the even more dominant mobile money service, M-Pesa.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
India adopting to mobile wallets faster than US, UK; beats China too
Mobile wallets had emerged as an e-commerce payment tool in India but post demonetisation, are being used for day-to-day transactions at supermarkets, grocery stores, street vendors, tea stalls, fuel stations, and even inside taxis and auto-rickshaws.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
-
Zimbabwe is pushing for mobile money interoperability as its cash problems linger
The idea of interoperability in simple terms is to enable a mobile money customer on one network’s proprietary system to send or receive money from another customer on a different network. Regulators typically want this to help boost competition, drive financial inclusion and encourage consumer usage. Network operators are less keen due to the short to medium costs as well as the fact it it reduces the need for customers to own multiple phone services to move money around.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Super Platforms in Africa: Not if, but When
Imagine low-income, rural entrepreneurs throughout Africa actively leveraging super platforms like Facebook and Alibaba to conduct all their business interactions, from customer payments to orders from suppliers. This scenario isn't that far-fetched, says BFA's Yanina Seltzer. She explains why the march of the super platforms into Africa is inevitable – and what it will mean for financial services providers, regulators, and small and medium enterprises.
- Categories
- Finance, Investing, Technology
Subscribe to Our 'Business in Global Development' Newsletter!
Our new weekly LinkedIn newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with curated news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage of impact-focused business in emerging markets.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.