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Press release: Mastercard and The Rockefeller Foundation Announce ‘Data Science for Social Impact’ with Initial $50 Million Commitment
The collaborative was announced at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, with an initial commitment of $50 million from The Rockefeller Foundation and the Mastercard Impact Fund over five years and an invitation to other companies and philanthropies to join.
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- Technology
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Quick Wins for Digital Agriculture: Why Digitizing Aggregation Centers is a Fast Path to Long-Term Impact for Smallholders
Discussion of digital agriculture innovation often focuses on buzzworthy technologies like the internet of things, artificial intelligence and blockchain. But though these technologies will eventually define the future of the sector, Ananth R Gudipati at the World Food Programme and Paul Kweheria at Mercy Corps say we should start with the basics – getting farmer organizations and SMEs to use digital tech to streamline their operations. They share insights from a digital platform developed by the Farm to Market Alliance that’s doing just that.
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- Agriculture, Technology
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WorldRemit set to boost Ethiopia’s remittance income
“We are proud to be a pioneering bank in modernizing Ethiopia’s payment systems. The various e-payment facilities deployed have enabled us to become the number one provider of technology-based banking services,“ CBE President Bacha Gina said.
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- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Helping the Digital Revolution Reach the Corner Store: Piloting Mobile Solutions for Micro-Retailers
Across the developing world, there are millions of small-scale shopkeepers who want to build their businesses. But with no training in management skills, many often struggle to run their shops. Can digital tools help address this challenge? TechnoServe sought to answer that question by piloting a smartphone platform that worked with shopkeepers in Kenya to improve the operations of their stores. Alice Waweru explores the program’s benefits and limitations.
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- Technology
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How Data-driven Strategies Can Improve Impact Investing Outcomes
The Rockefeller Foundation has been designing ways to harness data effectively in order to improve the effectiveness of impact investing. “Data really helps you understand the nature of the problem, and thinking about data ahead of time helps you structure your experiments and your interventions,” said Zia Khan, vice president of initiatives and strategy at the foundation
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- Investing, Technology
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The big tech and innovation trends in Africa for 2018
Fintech companies across the continent providing key services in loans, savings and payment, have been increasingly rewarded with investment and significant nods.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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The Superplatforms are Coming … And They Will Transform Financial Inclusion
With their big brands, big budgets and big data, superplatforms like Google, Amazon, Facebook and Alibaba already know more about most banks’ customers than the banks themselves. As these internet giants make increasing inroads into financial services, what are the implications for low-income customers – and their existing providers? David Porteous of BFA and Olga Morawcynski of MasterCard Foundation explore how these platforms are reshaping the face of financial inclusion around the world.
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- Finance, Technology
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The Age of Crypto-Giving: Why Cryptocurrency Will Become an Important Driver of Nonprofit Donations
In the U.S. alone, total charitable donations rose to a new high of $410 billion in 2017. Meanwhile, there are now more than 1,600 unique cryptocurrency tokens or coins spread across the world, with an aggregate value of over $100 billion dollars. According to Engiven CEO James Lawrence, the alignment of charitable giving with emerging cryptocurrency technologies represents "one of the most important fundraising opportunities for nonprofit growth since the adoption of electronic giving." He explains why in this thought-provoking post.
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- Finance, Technology
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