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Kenyan E-commerce Startup Sky.Garden Raises $4 Million Series A Funding Round
Sky.Garden, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform for mobile commerce that is built specifically for African businesses, has closed a US $4 million round of Series A funding to accelerate its growth.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Carro Becomes Unicorn Following $360 Million Series C Raise, Plans to Go Public in 18-24 Months
Carro, a subscription-based service that allows customers to drive a car without the hassle of owning it, has plans to enhance its portfolio of financial services by expanding beyond in-house loan financing, as well as accelerate the development of its AI capabilities.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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Press Release: G7 Development Finance Institutions and Multilateral Partners to Invest over $80 Billion into African Businesses over the Next Five Years
The G7 DFIs, the IFC, the private sector arm of the African Development Bank, EBRD, and the EIB today announced that they were committed to investing $80 billion in the private sector over the next five years to support sustainable economic recovery and growth in Africa.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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The Resilience of Indian Microfinance: Why the Sector Has Successfully Navigated the COVID-19 Pandemic
When a crisis hits a financial system or economy at large, the microfinance sector is usually among the worst impacted, since it caters to the most economically vulnerable segments of the population. As Sudip Bandyopadhyay at Inditrade explains, that's what happened to Indian microfinance when COVID-19 struck — yet the sector has shown remarkable resilience in weathering the pandemic. He explores some effective measures Indian microfinance institutions and policymakers have taken to address these historic challenges.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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El Salvador Becomes First Country to Adopt Bitcoin as Legal Tender After Passing Law
Lawmakers in the Central American country’s Congress voted by a “supermajority” in favor of the Bitcoin Law, receiving 62 out of 84 of the legislature’s vote.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Latin America
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UNICEF Invests in Blockchain Startups for Financial Inclusion
UNICEF Venture Fund is awarding up to $100,000 to blockchain startups, including India’s GovBlocks, in its latest funding round. Here are the other projects.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Global
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Supporting Microfinance During the Pandemic: Lessons From a COVID-19 Response Program
The COVID-19 crisis has had serious impacts on the microfinance industry and the micro and small enterprises it typically serves, leading to a decrease in both the quality and volume of microfinance institution (MFI) portfolios. Mathilde Bauwin of ADA explains how the organization designed and implemented a response program to help its partner MFIs overcome the pandemic's challenges. She shares lessons learned during the process, which could be useful in helping MFIs navigate future crises.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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10 Financial Literacy Solutions Receive Grants, Support From Nationwide Innovation Challenge
Ten financial literacy innovations were awarded grants and support from PhilDev Foundation and Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation, Inc. (CLFI) to boost financial literacy in underserved communities in the Philippines.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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