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85% of Kenyans Have Adopted Electronic Payment Products, Says MasterCard Study
Eighty five percent of Kenyans have adopted electronic payment products including bank accounts, mobile phone, prepaid cards or other payment products, according to a new study by MasterCard.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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India’s SKS Microfinance: Back From the Brink
SKS Microfinance Ltd, one of the largest microfinance companies in India, was a model for many other firms in the sector. Established by financial services professionals, the company was once considered the answer to India’s financial exclusion problem. While SKS has been through its fair share of struggles in the last four years, things are starting to look better for India’s only listed microfinance company.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Funding for Financial Inclusion Rises to $31 Billion in 2013
Global investment in affordable financial services for the poor has risen by an average seven percent per year since 2011, a World Bank think tank said in a survey released on Wednesday.
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- Uncategorized
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India’s Illicit Moneylenders Aren’t Going Away
Three bank branches stand across the street from Ajay Kumar Jaswal’s vegetable stand. But their loan officers shun his small business, forcing him to pay up to 20% quarterly interest to an illegal moneylender for the roughly $160 he needs as working capital.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Mobile Money on the Move: Part Two of Our Interview With Carol Caruso, Senior Vice President, Channels and Technology at Accion
The growth in global mobile connectivity has been astonishing, and perhaps no sector has been more impacted than finance. We spoke recently with Carol Caruso, Senior VP of Accion’s Channels & Technology unit, about the shifting trends and future outlook of mobile finance in part two of this Q&A.
- Categories
- Technology
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Ratan Tata, Others Invest in Grameen Capital’s Social Impact Debt Funding Arm
Grameen Capital India, a social impact-focused investment advisory firm, has raised an undisclosed amount in funding from a group of investors, including Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, the holding firm of Tata Group, for a new debt investment vehicle.
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- Impact Assessment
- Region
- South Asia
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You Need a Banking Law to Create a Bank for the Poor
Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank and a proponent of 'social business', a not-for-profit business model to combat unemployment and other social evils, does not mince his words when it comes to micro-credit for the poor. The Nobel Peace Prize winner is dismissive about some recent innovations in the microfinance sector and warns about the direction they are taking. He also believes that micro-credit should be kept outside political influence to run it as a sound financial institution. "The best scenario," he says, "is when a micro-credit bank is owned by the poor." Excerpts from an interview with Shamni Pande:
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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28M Filipinos Covered by Micro-Insurance as of 2014
As of 2014, 28 million Filipinos have micro-insurance coverage, according to the Insurance Commission (IC). The agency sees a continued growth in this segment as more Filipinos turn to micro-insurance for protection and financial security, especially for calamities.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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