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Why Zimbabwe Has Banned Foreign Currencies
Zimbabwe's government has taken the controversial decision to ban local trading in foreign currencies, including the US dollar, with immediate effect.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- public policy
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The Trouble With ‘Women’s Empowerment’ Programs: Perceptions vs. Reality in India
India's government, funders and development initiatives have an increasing focus on including women in different programs. But according to Sudarshan Thakur at PRADAN, these efforts often seem more concerned about what women can do for development than what development can do for women. He argues that social change cannot come only from outside interventions or credit. Instead, global development agencies need to engage with women across different communities and contexts, as women themselves are the best judges of the types of services and programs they need.
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- Finance
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Africa Is Leading the World in Plastic Bag Bans
The first phase of the country’s anti-plastic initiative began in 2017 to “protect the youth and environment,” with an initial ban on the manufacture of plastic bags and in-country distribution.
- Categories
- Environment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- public policy
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China says bitcoin is wasteful. Now it wants to ban mining.
An executive who works closely with Chinese mining firms told WIRED that although the ban was widely expected to move forward, miners expect it will take years for the government to fully rein in their operations.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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The World’s Cheapest Hospital Has to Get Even Cheaper
Cancer surgery for $700, a heart bypass for $2,000. Pretty good, but under India’s new health-care system, it’s not good enough.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- public policy, regulations
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M-Pesa Bank? Members of Parliament seek Central Bank regulation
If MPs have their way, the telecommunications regulator, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), will be compelled to ensure that mobile money services like Safaricom’s M-Pesa, Airtel Money and Telkom’s T-Kash are licensed as banks.
- Categories
- Finance, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Nuclear power excluded from EU’s green investment label
Tabled a year ago, the green taxonomy is the most sensitive part of a European Commission plan on sustainable finance, which aims at shifting financial flows towards the decarbonisation of the economy.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Europe & Eurasia
- Tags
- ESG, impact investing, public policy
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U.S. Democrats push financial inclusion as 2020 election race heats up
Following the 2008 financial crisis, many banks pulled back from their poorest customers. The shift has had lasting costs for millions of Americans now struggling to access mainstream financial services such as checking accounts and credit cards.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- North America