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Fewer ‘Heropreneurs,’ More Heroic Women: Grameen Foundation’s New CEO Discusses Her Vision for the Organization – And the Broader Financial Inclusion Sector
When Zubaida Bai was announced as the new CEO of Grameen Foundation last month, she says the news was often met with two reactions: “Wow, is Muhammed Yunus your hero, too?” and “Oh, Grameen Foundation — they do microfinance, right?” As Bai writes, these reactions highlighted some common misunderstandings about Yunus and Grameen Foundation — and about the real heroes behind anti-poverty work. She explores these misconceptions, and shares her vision for Grameen Foundation and the financial inclusion sector.
- Categories
- Finance, Social Enterprise
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Analysis: Venture Capitalists Don’t Seem to Care Much About India’s Woman Entrepreneurs
In 2021, startups founded by women received only 0.3% of India’s total venture capital funding, according to data by DealStreetAsia.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Press Release: Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) Closes the Women’s Livelihood Bond™ 5 – the Fifth Issuance in the Women’s Livelihood Bond™ Series and the World’s First Orange Bond
The US$50 million IIX Women’s Livelihood Bond™ 5 is the first sustainable debt security in the market issued in compliance with the Orange Bond Principles and is expected to empower ~300,000 women and girls across Asia and Africa.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Global
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African Development Fund Provides Grant of $12 Million to Develop the Financial Market and Drive Financial Inclusion in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The African Development Bank Group has approved a $12 million grant to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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FSDH Merchant Bank Announces $35 Million Facility From International Finance Corporation to Boost Growth of Businesses in Nigeria
The credit facility will be used to improve access to finance for medium-scale businesses in the emerging sectors of the Nigerian economy.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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African Development Bank Fund Offers $8.9 Billion for Vulnerable African Countries
The $8.9 billion replenishment package includes $8.5 billion in core ADF funding and $429 million for the newly created Climate Action Window.
- Categories
- Environment, Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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From Grameen Bank to Global Scale: The New Edition of a Classic Book Highlights the Hard Truth – And Enduring Value – Behind Microfinance
In 1996, Grameen Foundation founder Alex Counts published “Small Loans, Big Dreams,” a well-regarded account of the origins and early years of the microfinance sector. Counts recently published a new edition of the book, which reflects on the ongoing evolution of the industry, and responds to critics who have questioned its role in international development. Longtime microfinance leader and analyst Elisabeth Rhyne discusses the book, and explores what these new updates tell us about the current state of the global microfinance sector.
- Categories
- Finance
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Unleashing Women Entrepreneurs by Challenging Gender Norms: An Innovative Approach to Changing Beliefs Around Household Chores
Globally, women and girls are responsible for three-quarters of unpaid care work, due to the still-common belief that a woman’s role in society is to take care of the home. As Trisha Clauson at Bopinc and Annegien Langedijk-Wilms at Growing Initiatives explain, this is preventing countless women entrepreneurs from building their businesses, reducing emerging markets' GDP by trillions of dollars. They explore an innovative program that leveraged mass media to foster more equitable gender norms around household chores in Nigeria, sharing learnings that can be used by other organizations supporting women entrepreneurs.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
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