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SEC vs Chaka: Regulation May Be Coming to Nigeria’s Investment-Tech Platforms
The consumer side of Nigerian fintech is full of new activity. Digital lenders offer loans in minutes, cryptocurrency first-movers abound, and startups are helping users invest in reliable financial assets.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- fintech, regulations, startups
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A Sector in Transition: How Data and Evidence Can Set India’s Agricultural Markets on the Path Toward a Successful Future
Farmer protests in New Delhi have dominated headlines in India in recent weeks. They come in response to a series of farm bills that were passed into law in September, with the goal of shifting the agriculture sector away from traditional state-regulated markets and toward a more open system. Rupika Singh, Praachi Khera and Tony Senanayake at IDinsight discuss the pros and cons of these new laws, the underlying challenges facing India’s agricultural systems, and the ways that data and evidence can help leaders set these markets up for success.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Impact Assessment, Transportation
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Lack of Capital is Just the Beginning: Why Roof-Top Solar is Facing Greater Challenges Than Many People Think
The solar energy sector is dynamic and growing – but as Rik Teeuwen at Footlight International points out, it's also unsettled, as off-grid solar players navigate challenges ranging from lack of finance to inconsistent regulation. In light of those issues, he pushes back on the argument, expressed by candi solar CEO Philippe Flamand on NextBillion earlier this year, that rooftop solar is a “no-brainer” for micro, small and medium enterprises. The truth, he says, is far more nuanced.
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Analysis: China Investors Rethink Market Risk After Ant’s Scuppered IPO
Lure of big returns remains despite unwelcome reminder of Beijing's power
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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COVID-19: Burden or Boon for Financial Inclusion?
When the Alliance for Financial Inclusion outlined its “Five Key Financial Inclusion Policy Trends for 2020” on January 17 of this year, the spread of the novel coronavirus was still in its infancy. Now that COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the global economy, Robin Newnham at the Alliance for Financial Inclusion revisits those trends, viewing them through the prism of the pandemic – and finding both new risks, and new opportunities.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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Here Are 4 Technology Trends From Emerging Economies
In emerging economies, the promise of these technologies shines particularly bright.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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The Game-Changing Potential of a Regulatory Sandbox: Why Creating a Safe Space for Digital Innovation Is a Necessity for Financial Inclusion in Bangladesh
While Bangladesh has made notable progress in accelerating financial inclusion, around 50% of Bangladeshis still remain unbanked. As Jakirul Islam at Bank Asia points out, this highlights a need for more technological disruption – and more regulatory innovation. He explores the potential of a “regulatory sandbox” approach, in which the government provides a safe harbor for businesses to test inventive new products, services and business models.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Avoiding Another Crash: How Global Standards Set after the 2008 Crisis Prepared the Financial System to Weather COVID-19
International standard-setting bodies have been working to strengthen global financial stability ever since the 2008 crisis. And according to Robin Newnham at the Alliance for Financial Inclusion, they are now playing vitally important roles in the global response to COVID-19. He explores how the global financial system is seeing the benefits of the reforms of the past decade – and how these efforts can expand in the future.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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