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‘We don’t talk about inclusion’ and that’s a problem, says BlackRock’s Larry Fink
"I think the question isn't the financial system but the inclusiveness of the financial system, and we don't talk about that at all," the BlackRock CEO lamented during a panel entitled "Remaking the Future of Global Finance" moderated by CNBC.
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J-PAL North America launches education technology innovation competition
MIT's Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) North America has launched a new Education, Technology, and Opportunity Competition that will support U.S. education leaders in identifying effective uses of education technology that can serve as models for how innovation can improve learning.
- Categories
- Education, Technology
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Does Digital Finance Really Address Low-Income Customers’ Needs?
Digital financial services are proliferating across the developing world, yet providers are having trouble coming up with products that meet low-income customers where they live. For instance, for a rural customer, how can a stagnant digital savings account compete with a productive egg-laying hen? Maha Khan and Annabel Schiff, representing the newly formed Mastercard Foundation Partnership for Finance in a Digital Africa, unveil new research exploring how digital financial services can meet people's needs alongside more traditional services.
- Categories
- Finance, Impact Assessment
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Expanding Financial Access Means Expanding Security – How ‘Tokenization’ Could Be the Key
When Experian was hacked last fall, the breach exposed the social security numbers of 143 million people in the U.S. Shortly thereafter, in South Africa, approximately 30 million citizens' identity numbers and financial information were hacked and leaked on the internet. As more people in emerging economies are equipped with personal identification numbers for digital financial services, the need for securing sensitive data grows exponentially. Suresh Rajagopalan of FSS touts tokenization as a remedy – and outlines some challenges it presents.
- Categories
- Finance
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How Impact Investing is Advancing Affordable Housing
For millions of people, especially for the 13.2 million who have worked with the organization to build new or updated homes, Habitat for Humanity is a household name. But many don't realize that the international charity that put “sweat equity” on the map is also pioneering a different approach: A pair of funds that invest in businesses that advance affordable housing via financial products and services. Jyoti Patel, global director-capital markets at Habitat’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, discusses the funds and their wide-ranging impact.
- Categories
- Investing
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IFMR group looks to appoint investment banks for share sale
IFMR group, which provides financial services to lower income population and the companies serving this segment, plans to go public and is in talks to hire investment banks for the same, two people aware of the development said.
- Region
- South Asia
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Different Disasters, Same Solution? Applying New Orleans’ Post-Hurricane Model to Revive Detroit’s Neighborhoods
Hurricane Katrina's fury struck New Orleans over the course of hours while relentless economic stagnation plagued Detroit for decades. But these very different challenges created similar outcomes: huge population losses, real estate foreclosures and economic devastation. On Martin Luther King Day, NextBillion is focusing on domestic economic issues and urban renewal. Develop Detroit's Sean White explains how the real estate development firm is applying the Crescent City's formula for rebirth to the Motor City's ongoing neighborhood revival.
- Categories
- Investing
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The Under-Recognized Threat of ‘Ultra-Poverty’ – And How the World Can Tackle It
The world is likely to fall short of Sustainable Development Goal 1 to end poverty in all its forms everywhere by 2030 – unless it addresses the estimated 394 million people living in “ultra-poverty.” Concentrated in 14 countries in Africa and Asia, the ultra-poor have largely been overlooked by the movement to end poverty, receiving a small fraction of official development assistance. The Global State of Ultra Poverty report aims to change that, and Jesse Marsden, Veronica Brown and Aaron Merchen of RESULTS explore strategies that could turn the tide.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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