Articles

Role of women in economic development 

DURBAN - Women’s Day and Women’s month are not only a tribute to our contribution to the struggle against apartheid but an affirmation of our ceaseless pursuit of gender parity and equity. According to the 2018 Global Gender Gap Report, South Africa was ranked 19th overall. However, in terms of the active economic participation of women and opportunities available for women, our country is ranked 91st and for educational attainment, South Africa is ranked 72nd globally.

How Fintech Is Eating The World

Non-financial firms – from ecommerce distributors to healthcare providers – have myriad unique assets, notably a large customer base, unique insights, and crucially, trusted relationships. Capitalizing on these, non-financial companies can offer financial products and services to their customers. 

Article via Forbes


 

Traditional lenders are upping their digital banking game in preparation for virtual banking challenge in China

Hong Kong’s first virtual banks are not expected to be operational for at least another month, but banking customers in the city are already reaping the benefits. For the first time in about two decades, eight of the special administrative region’s largest banks will no longer charge fees for failure to maintain a minimum monthly balance.

Widening Access to Finance for Women Business Owners Could Unleash Huge Economic Potential.

When a woman wants to start or grow her own business, the odds of securing a business loan are heavily stacked against her. This affects women like Yeo from Ivory Coast, who was unable to take out a loan for her farming business because, as a woman, she did not own any land that the bank required as collateral.

Data says 80 percent of women-owned businesses with credit needs are either unserved or underserved. This is equivalent to a massive $1.7 trillion financing gap. In this piece, name asks for financial institutions to stop asking for collateral.

$4.9 Trillion Small Business Credit Gap: Digital Models to the Rescue

CGAP estimates that there is a $4.9 trillion credit gap for micro and small businesses in emerging markets. But digital technologies are disrupting traditional means of delivering MSE finance. CGAP talked to some of the most interesting companies about these new business models and breaks down the findings for you in their latest blog and deck. CGAP has undertaken a global landscaping study to estimate the opportunity size of credit to MSEs in emerging markets, outline how digital technologies are disrupting this space and describe the most promising new business models they see emerging.

How fintech is setting Southeast Asia’s SMEs free

A lack of previous credit history creates a vicious cycle for SMEs. Loan applications with missing information are automatically rejected by formal institutions, which leads SMEs to again go back to informal sources of funding.

To solve this problem, the question that needs to be tackled is: how can underwriting of SME loans be simplified, given the lack of data on small businesses that have no history of transacting with formal institutions?

Early Lessons from the CEO Partnership for Economic Inclusion - UNSGSA

A few months after the leaders of the CEO Partnership for Economic Inclusion (CEOP) met for the second time in Davos during the World Economic Forum (WEF), we spent two days working with the companies’ advisors to advance the initiatives which have launched on the ground, and to come together to explore new ones. Rabobank, one of the 10 member companies, hosted the workshop at its head office on April 18 in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

How Fintechs Are Demystifying The Idea That It Is Hard To Lend To MSMEs

Jessica Alfaro, a Financial Sector Specialist at the SME Finance Forum, was the introductory speaker on the Corporate and Commercial panel at the Accenture Fintech Forum “What is Really Working” on May 13. This event was part of the FinTechStage Festival 2019 taking place over five days in Milan, Italy. Alfaro was joined on the panel by speakers from Accenture Italy, Kyriba and October.

Interview: Ceyla Pazarbasioglu on Financial Inclusion

Ceyla Pazarbasioglu spoke to Financial Times to discuss what she thinks of financial inclusion. She said it is the core mission of the World Bank, where she has been vice-president for equitable growth, finance and institutions since October of last year. In the Middle East and Africa, she says, fintech’s role in financial inclusion is seen as a way to help foster entrepreneurship and lower unemployment among the regions’ burgeoning youth populations.


 

Subscribe to Articles