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Press release: New UNCDF report examines how to get blended finance right in the world’s 47 least developed countries
Presenting the report, UNCDF’s Executive Secretary Judith Karl said: “While turning the ‘billions into trillions’ is essential, it should not just be about quantity, but also about quality and geography. Increased public and private financial flows must be made to work also for the world’s most vulnerable countries and for communities at risk of being left behind. We need to shift the dynamics of how resources are allocated and to come up with better ways of making finance work for poor people.”
- Categories
- Investing
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Financing the Energy Access Revolution: Three Technologies That Are Driving Africa’s Momentum
Technology has become central to the energy access story in Africa. It’s an essential part of all the key stages of an enterprise’s work – from raising the initial capital and financing the equipment, to designing and delivering the final product itself. And the new possibilities opened up by technology are increasingly seen as potential game-changers, in a region where some 590 million Africans – around 50 percent of the population – are still without access to electricity. Ben Good, the CEO of Energy 4 Impact, explores three areas in which tech-driven approaches – from crowdfunding to cryptocurrency – are making an impact.
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- Energy, Social Enterprise, Technology
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Report: Impact Investing in Latin America Remains Robust
The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) and LAVCA - The Association for Private Capital Investment in Latin America reveal a growing industry marked by more refined investment strategies.
- Source
- Press release
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Latin America
- Tags
- impact investing, microfinance, SDGs
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Accelerating the SDGs: How Digital Finance Can Ignite Faster Progress Toward the Global Goals
With 2030 gradually drawing nearer, how can the world accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals? Global leaders discussed that question at the United Nations General Assembly last week, and according to Ruth Goodwin-Groen at the U.N.-based Better Than Cash Alliance, digital financial inclusion is emerging as a key answer. She discusses how digital financial services can be an important part of the solution for critical issues like hunger, health and climate change – and profiles a few of the growing number of governments and companies that are leading by example.
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- Finance
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Press release: New Digital Platform for Scaling Up Inclusive Business Worldwide Launches in New York
Produced as part of the Inclusive Business Action Network’s knowledge sharing initiative “iBAN blue”, the platform provides up-to-date knowledge and insights for those working to deliver sustainable business models that benefit the world’s poorest.
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- SDGs, sustainable business
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Girls Empowerment Programs Are Working: Now What?
In spite of the work of countless organizations, progress towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals for women and girls “remains unacceptably slow,” according to the U.N. Yet a growing body of evidence clearly shows the impact of girls empowerment programs – particularly those that bundle life skills and livelihood training with financial support. The question now is: How can these successful approaches be improved and scaled, while serving the unique needs of different cultures? Sarah Allen at BRAC USA explores some answers.
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- Impact Assessment
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Sri Lanka, UNDP launch social impact funds to support small businesses
Sri Lankan small firms and micro enterprises whose goals include ending poverty and environmental protection will be able to get money and management support from two social impact funds with total capital of US$25 million launched Wednesday.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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Press release: State of Blended Finance report 2018 reveals growth of blended finance market
“In two years since Convergence has launched, we have seen blended finance enter the mainstream, leaving a mark on not just major meetings and conferences around the world but in international development policy and strategies,” says Joan Larrea, CEO at Convergence. “This report breaks through the noise to give practitioners a clear sense of the current trends and best practices, so they can steer the right blend of capital into transactions that address the SDGs.”
- Categories
- Investing