-
Why the World’s Smallholder Farmers are Going Hungry
Many of the world’s households most affected by hunger are smallholder farmers who are, ironically, critical to feeding the world as its population grows. These small farmers need to become more productive and less poor, which is possible only if they have the building block critical to growing businesses of every kind: better access to finance.
- Categories
- Agriculture
-
Leveraging Technology for Good: An Interview With June Sugiyama, Director of the Vodafone Americas Foundation
With its parent corporation ranked as one of the top telecom companies in the world, Vodafone Americas Foundation's focus is a natural fit: "We support projects that use technology for social impact," says June Sugiyama, the foundation's director. In this Q&A, recorded at the SOCAP16 conference, she discusses the foundation's multifaceted work.
- Categories
- Technology
-
Mobile Money Meets Microcredit: Three Key Decisions in Taking a Concept from Design to Pilot
SAJIDA Foundation in Bangladesh is using evidence from data analytics, business case analysis and client research to improve cross-selling as part of the OPTIX project. Three key evidence-based programmatic decisions were necessary to take a new mobile financial service-based microfinance initiative from the design table to being piloted in the field.
- Categories
- Finance
-
The G2P Silver Bullet? Not So Fast.
Many governments offer cash transfers to millions of people at or below the poverty line, most of whom are not connected to the formal financial system. If these cash transfers are funneled into bank accounts rather than paid directly out in cash, these people immediately gain an on-ramp to financial services. But there is a resounding dissonance between enthusiasm for this solution, and the evidence to date.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
-
IMF Releases the 2016 Financial Access Survey, A Key Tool to Foster Financial Inclusion
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released today the results of the seventh annual Financial Access Survey, a key source of data on financial inclusion.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
-
MobiKwik to become first mobile wallet in India to offer personal loans
MobiKwik, one of the leading mobile wallet companies in India, will enter the lending space this month, becoming the first among the top wallet companies to facilitate personal loans.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- lending, mobile finance
-
Weekly Roundup: PSI for Profit, a Slowing ‘Pulse’ in Africa and Medical Tourism on Steroids
The non-profit Population Services International (PSI) announces the launch of a for-profit business in India, sub-Saharan Africa braces for "the lowest growth in more than 20 years," and Obamacare generates some unintended – and potentially exciting – consequences. We discuss these and other issues in our weekly roundup of social business and global development news.
- Categories
- Health Care, Investing, Social Enterprise
-
McKinsey says digital finance adoption could add trillions to high growth economies
Adoption of digital finance could add $3.7 trillion dollars to the GDP of emerging markets economies, including $1.1 trillion in China alone, according to a new McKinsey & Company report.
- Categories
- Technology
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter, "NextBillion Notes"
Published each Wednesday, our e-newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with a selection of news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage — and regular conference ticket giveaways.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.