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Digital Payment Startups in India Unaware of High Security Risks
As India embraces a cashless economy, there has been a sudden spurt in new mobile wallet companies — but most of these start-ups are setting up digital shops without knowing the cyber risks involved, a top executive from US-based cyber security firm FireEye has emphasised.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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Women Struggle to Repay Loans Taken From Microfinance Institutions in India
The demonetisation of Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 500 notes has severely affected women who had borrowed loans from microfinance institutions. While some of them have resorted to mortgaging gold and sell household items to pay weekly instalments, there have been cases where some attempted suicide as they were unable to bear the burden of repaying the loans.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- lending, microfinance
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How Paytm is brazenly piggybacking on banks and telcos in India
It should be galling for telecom service providers like Airtel and Vodafone to find Paytm (used as a metaphor for mobile wallet service providers) using the mobile numbers of their customers to provide mobile wallet services to them.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Viewpoint: Why Microfinance Is an Ugly Word in India’s Villages
Vidarbha, the cotton bowl of India - which has been periodically witnessing the spectre of suicide with farmers plagued by unmanageable debts taking their lives - is now back in news for almost similar reasons. This time, in the centre of the storm are microfinance institutions. Borrowers in four districts - Nagpur, Amravati Yavatmal and Wardha - have started defaulting on their loans, egged on by politicians.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Govt urges private health care providers to set up centres in rural areas
The government urged private health care providers to set up centres in semi-rural and rural areas in order to bridge the disparity in availability of healthcare services between urban and rural areas.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- public health
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Indian social enterprises have huge potential: British Council report
A majority (53%) of social enterprises in India are focussed on skill development, followed by 30% on education, according to a study on Indian social enterprises relased by the British Council on Thursday.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Education
- Region
- South Asia
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Demonetisation: How to Get Cash-Stuck Microfinance Institutions Digitally Ready in India
The overnight demonetisation of R500 and R1,000 currency notes shook the entire Indian economy, for good or bad is yet uncertain. An estimated 85% of the value of currency has ceased to be a legal tender and the release of the new currency has been rationed for the next few months. Such a move from the government will most likely put a check on black money circulation in medium- to long-term, however, it will also impact businesses in the short-run given the fact that more than 90% of the consumer payments in India still happen in cash. The move is also expected to be a boon for digital financial services ecosystem in India. While the penetration of digital payments infrastructure has rapidly increased in the last two years, the value of consumer payments that happen through cards or other digital means in India is still far behind some of the other comparable economies. The point-of-sale terminals per 100,000 debits cards are lower in India compared to other BRIC nations (India-2; Russia-6.1; China-12.5; Brazil-14.8).
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Healthcare In Africa, Built By India
Economic diplomacy is the use of aid, trade, and investment policy tools to achieve a geopolitical objective. India’s geoeconomic diplomacy has so far focussed mainly on the use of scholarships, grants, and concessional lines of credit. New Delhi now has the capacity to move beyond those basics by using the strengths of India’s private sector in healthcare.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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