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New Impact Investing Benchmarks to Arrive
The global-investment firm Cambridge Associates will unveil in a couple weeks real-asset impact-investing benchmarks in real estate, infrastructure, and timber. The new benchmarks “focus on the financial performance of the private funds, categorizing them by year and size,” says Jessica Matthews, managing director at Cambridge Associates.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
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Two new MFIs raise hopes for Indian sector amid repayment trouble
Microfinance companies may be in the hot seat after demonetisation-led non-repayment of loans and Uttar Pradesh government's farm loan waiver announcement, but there are people who are still keen to put money in a market where borrowers in general take joint liability to repay loans.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- South Asia
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Tanzania: 47% of GDP Transferred in Mobile Money Revolution
When Vodacom introduced the mobile money transfer service, M-Pesa, in 2008 financial inclusion in the country was below 16 per cent. Only eight years later, financial inclusion increased fivefold to reach 86 per cent putting Tanzania well ahead of most Sub-Saharan African countries.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Special Investigation Team to Probe Allegations of Misconduct Against Indian Microfinance Institutions
Government on Wednesday announced that a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) will probe allegations of misconduct against micro-finance institutions.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Ford Foundation Sends Message to Those Still on Impact Investing Fence: A Q&A with Darren Walker
Earlier this month, Ford Foundation President Darren Walker announced the 81-year-old organization is putting "our money where our mouth is" and investing $1 billion over the next 10 years in affordable housing and financial services for people in developing countries. In this email Q&A, Walker talks about why the foundation made the shift and the signals he hopes it sends.
- Categories
- Investing
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M-Pesa’s Quiet Mobile Revolution 10 Years In
In the developed world, particularly in the United States, mobile payments have entered the scene with a lot of fanfare and great expectations — but haven’t delivered all that much in the way of impressive results. As of the last PYMNTS/InfoScout report on in-store mobile wallet usage, and particularly for the longest running general purpose mobile wallet in the market, Apple Pay, 19 out of 20 users who could use a mobile wallet don’t. It seems when it comes time to pay the piper in the store, consumers in the U.S. and Western Europe still kind of like their cards.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Tanzania: Dar Economy ‘Stable’ As Financial Inclusion Hits 60 Percent
Mobile phone money services have heightened financial inclusion during the past decade from just 11 per cent to over 60 per cent of the population as of now, a new report by the World Bank has revealed.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Financial Inclusion Remains a Work in Progress in South Africa
On the surface, South Africa appears to be financially inclusive compared with other emerging markets: 70% of adults, for example, have a transaction account. However, it’s not nearly as inclusive as most mature markets, and serious and stubborn gaps remain, according to a new report by The Boston Consulting Group.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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