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What Happens When a Billion Identities Are Digitized?
Over the last decade, India’s Aadhaar, a biometrically secured national identification system, has allowed millions to participate in the country’s economic life. But the system’s success has ignited a debate over whether any entity, public or private, should have the ability to pool our full digital profiles.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Responding to COVID-19 in the Developing World
The mass social distancing strategy being used to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the United States and Europe doesn’t easily translate to a developing country like Bangladesh, which lacks the capacity to impose restrictions or provide a social safety net for the unemployed. We talked with Yale SOM development economist Mushfiq Mobarak about how he is repurposing his research infrastructure in Bangladesh to gather information and test approaches to spreading public health messages.
- Categories
- Coronavirus
- Region
- South Asia
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Viewpoint: Can Big Data Fight a Pandemic?
The COVID-19 crisis has intensified the debate over big data and privacy. Governments are pulling together data from public and private systems in order to predict and counter the spread of COVID-19. But setting aside privacy protections in a time of crisis could lead to new, permanent norms. We asked Yale SOM’s K. Sudhir about the role of India’s nationwide identity system, Aadhaar, and the use of big data around the world.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Viewpoint: Microfinance Industry Most Vulnerable to Lockdown and Moratorium in India
As first order impact, collection cycle may be hit, while lack of moratorium-relief from banks may squeeze out liquidity
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- microfinance
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With 61% of Loan Book Tied up in High-Risk Microcredit, Bandhan Bank Feels the Heat of Coronavirus Lockdown
The nationwide lockdown to fight COVID-19 presents a major crisis for banks with high exposure to the microcredit segment. With many small businesses on the verge of shutting down, loan repayments may stop.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- microfinance
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What Helped CreditAccess Grameen Maintain ‘Good’ Liquidity Position Amid Lockdown
CreditAccess Grameen Ltd. said its liquidity position was “quite good” even as lenders stop loan collections amid a national lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- microfinance
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When Digital Payment Waves Lead to ‘Unbanking’
Ironically, fintechs and cashless payment technologies who promise to ensure financial inclusion often achieve the opposite results.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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How an Indian App Delivers Groceries in Remote District During COVID-19
“From an administrative standpoint, the importance of MeeBuddy App is that it keeps people at home at the need of the hour and they have no reason to go out,” says Lohit Deputy Commissioner Prince Dhawan.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Technology
- Region
- South Asia