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International remittances to exceed $600bn in 2018
The World Bank estimates that global remittances will grow by 3.4% to $616 billion in 2018. Sub-Saharan Africa, with an average cost of 9.1%, remains the highest-cost region, it says.
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Indian e-wallets are gasping for breath
Till now, using an e-wallet involved merely downloading the app, registering one’s mobile phone number, and linking it to one’s bank account. Now, customers also need to complete a more detailed KYC procedure within a year, which involves visiting a company-approved centre and getting documents physically verified. With this additional step, the industry has lost its most important pull-factor: convenience.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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