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Insights, Analysis and Debate: Vote for the Top NextBillion Article of 2019
Another year has come and gone, and it's time for NextBillion to select our most influential articles of 2019. As usual, we’re turning to you, our readers, for help. We've selected our 12 most-read articles of the year, and we invite you to vote for the one that impacted your thinking the most. You can vote up to 12 times during the voting period, which runs from Dec. 20 to Jan. 2. The winner will be announced on Jan. 3. As always, thank you for reading, contributing content to, and engaging with NextBillion!
- Categories
- Education, Energy, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Finance, Investing, NextBillion Originals, Technology
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An Impact Investing Model Designed for Africa: Why the Continent Should Embrace Search Funds
According to Brendan J. Mullen of Secha Capital, there's a little-known but perfectly suited investment model for Africa's emerging markets: search funds. Often vehicles for young, aspiring entrepreneurs to finance, acquire and grow established SMEs, search funds trust the local market by directing capital to where it’s most needed. As Secha launches a new $30 million fund, Mullen shares how investments in both growth and human capital are yielding impressive returns.
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- Investing
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Viewpoint: Responsible Investing: PE impact investors should target SMEs in Southeast Asia
There is a concentration of investments in a few sectors such as financial services and energy. Agriculture and micro-SMEs are two areas with high potential in the region.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Empowering Female Entrepreneurs: Solutions to Five Key Barriers to Women’s Financial Inclusion
In developing countries, only 59% of women have a bank account – an issue VisionFund is addressing through its Women’s Empowerment Fund. But though the fund has supported thousands of female-led businesses, it has also faced persistent challenges – many of which are unique to women. Johanna Ryan, VisionFund's Global Director of Impact, discusses five obstacles the fund has encountered, and how they've responded.
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Asian Development Bank Approves $25M Loan to Support Women-Led SMEs
Access to finance is very limited in Pakistan, with only 21.3% of adults and only 7% of women over the age of 15 having bank accounts in fiscal year 2017, according to available data.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- financial inclusion, microfinance, MSMEs, SME finance, SMEs, Women
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‘Financial Innovation’ is no Frankenstein: How Impact Investors and Inclusive Finance Innovators Are Redefining the Term
For many, the words "financial innovation" spark memories of the banking malfeasance that led to the 2008 financial crisis. But as Paul Hailey at responsAbility Investments sees it, financial innovation has come a long way since then. He argues that innovative new investment products don't have to be "a monster lurching towards the village," and explores how they can enable both financial inclusion and investor returns.
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Getting Past Doubt: Finding Better Ways for Multinationals and SMEs to Intersect
Developing countries have become increasingly important to multinational companies, with foreign direct investment often outpacing development aid. Meanwhile, the 400 million micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises in these countries are facing a wide variety of obstacles to growth. The new Catalyzing SGB Acceleration initiative, launched by TechnoServe and the Argidius Foundation, aims to find common ground between those two worlds. Juan Carlos Thomas and Annie Shoemaker at TechnoServe discuss the new project.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Investing
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Why the Future is African – And Why SMEs Should Lead the Way
It’s conventional wisdom that small and medium enterprises are key to economic growth in emerging markets. This is particularly true in Africa, where local SMEs dominate the business landscape, and a fast-growing young population needs the services, jobs and economic growth they provide. But as Trevor Hambayi at Development Finance Associates explains, these enterprises face several unique challenges – starting with a lack of finance. He explores the problem, and some solutions that could help unlock the SME sector’s potential.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Finance
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