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Chemonics and BanQu Partner to Test Blockchain’s Potential to Eliminate Poverty and Improve Aid Effectiveness
On October 17, 2016, international development consulting firm Chemonics and technology company BanQu established the Blockchain for Development Solutions Lab. The lab represents the first concerted effort by a development company to build, test, and scale blockchain solutions to reduce poverty and increase aid effectiveness.
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- Technology
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Global Microscope Highlights Gains in Financial Inclusion and Digitization of Financial Services
Financial inclusion is now on the global agenda and is understood to be a critical foundation in the improvement of livelihoods, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) 2016 Global Microscope on Financial Inclusion. More than half of the 55 countries studied improved their enabling environment for financial inclusion in all areas in the past year.
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- Uncategorized
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FICO and EFL Partner to Extend Access to Credit for “Unscoreable” Consumers and Entrepreneurs in Multiple Markets
As part of its FICO Financial Inclusion Initiative, analytic software firm FICO today announced a strategic partnership with EFL Global to expand credit scoring options for lenders and consumers in markets outside the US. FICO will offer EFL's psychometric scoring alongside its own credit scoring products in global markets, with the initial focus on Turkey, Russia and Mexico.
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- Impact Assessment
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The Mismatch: Customers Seek Holistic Solutions, Financial Service Providers Operate in Silos
Digital financial service providers too often operate in silos, designing products to solve particular financial needs. Meanwhile, users tend to blend a mix of formal and informal financial services to meet their needs. The challenge for FSPs is to recognize users' behaviors and respond accordingly, particularly to their need for flexibility and timeliness.
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- Uncategorized
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Grameen Foundation and Freedom from Hunger Unite as One Global Organization
Grameen Foundation and Freedom from Hunger, two global leaders in the fight to end poverty, announced today that they are joining forces to form a single unified global organization. Under the banner of Grameen Foundation, the combined organization will be able to reach more people across the spectrum of poverty, while deepening the focus on the very poor, especially women, its leaders say.
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- Uncategorized
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Hello Paisa Wins Second Annual MasterCard Foundation Clients at the Centre Prize
The MasterCard Foundation today presented its second annual Clients at the Centre Prize to Hello Paisa. The US$150,000 Prize recognizes the company’s innovative work in South Africa to facilitate international money transfers for foreign workers.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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More Women Are Financially Included in India Than Ever Before
India’s Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) programme has brought more individuals into the formal financial fold than any other inclusion-related intervention attempted to date. The level of financial inclusion among Indian adults increased by 20% between 2014 and 2015, an unparalleled rate of growth across the eight countries tracked by InterMedia’s Financial Inclusion Insights (FII) research programme.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Uganda: Shs1 Billion Loaned Through Mobile Phones
In just two months, the mobile micro-lending and saving platform, MoKash, has been adding an average of 15,000 customers per day, reaching 920,000 over the period. Launched in August and operated by MTN Uganda and the Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA), MoKash allows mobile phone owners to save and apply for micro-loans. This is the first platform operated by both a telecom company and bank that could carry out the function of a commercial bank.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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