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COVID-19 Pushes Rural Myanmar Towards Moneylenders
Desperate for cash and low on work, rural households are turning to high-interest loans from informal moneylenders as microfinance companies are forced to cut back on credit.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Rural Fintech Startup Jai Kisan Raises USD$3.9 million From Nabard-Back Fund, Others
Jai Kisan, a Mumbai-based fintech platform, on Tuesday said it has raised Rs 30 crore funding from Arkam Ventures with participation of a fund backed by NABARD.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- fintech, rural development, startups
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Viewpoint: Scientists Say Satellite Imagery and Machine Learning Advances Will Boost African Consumer Data
Of a population of 198 million people only 22,110 households where covered. The data was collected via door-to-door surveys requiring visits to rural communities which in many parts of the country are often difficult to access and sometimes not safe for researchers unfamiliar with the terrain.
- Categories
- Environment, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Designing for Women: How COVID-19 Could Allow Government Payment Programs to Boost Women’s Economic Empowerment
Governments around the world are deploying government-to-person programs to address the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. But as Amanda Schwartz at IDEO.org points out, unless these programs are designed around women’s unique needs, they could exacerbate gender inequality and financial exclusion. She explores how a gender inclusive approach could "make the single biggest push for women’s economic empowerment that the world has ever seen."
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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Viewpoint: After COVID-19, a Rural Revolution Can Drive Sustainable Recovery
After coronavirus, nothing less than a revolution in rural sustainable development can prevent another crisis.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Coronavirus, Technology
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This Agricultural Enterprise Is Helping Nigerian Farmers Expand Their Business
In 2015, farmer Sule Yohana joined Babban Gona, a social enterprise organization with a focus on providing expansion services to smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Social Entrepreneur Building Rural Economy, Urges MFIs to Launch Disaster Fund
Yunus, was speaking on June 6, Saturday, at a webinar organised by Sa-Dhan, the platform for Indian MFIs
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Environment, Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Agency Banking and Off-Grid Energy: Banking the Unbanked Through Solar
In rural Africa, off-grid renewable energy products are gaining momentum - but their upfront cost can make them inaccessible to low-income customers. Commercial banks have struggled to penetrate these markets, but Thelma Obiakor at the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa explains that this is now changing. Thanks to agency banking, financial services and solar companies are providing a bridge to both energy access and greater financial inclusion.
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