Microfinance, Innovations, Sustainable Development - Technology

GCC companies need to focus more on innovation management for business success

Gerard — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 17:40:02 GMT

Many GCC businesses are struggling during these tough economic times and are even missing an opportunity to grow, because they are not focusing sufficiently on Innovation Management says an expert in the UAE.

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Three Innovation Takeaways from Asia

Gerard — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 09:18:29 GMT

The West is overly discounting Asia's growth potential. Innovation has never been more accessible. We're on the verge of a golden age of innovation. The human side of innovation must be addressed. More focus must go to solving the first mile problem... Written by Scott Anthony from Singapore

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2010: Rapidly developing countries are innovation champions

Gerard — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:04:03 GMT

Top emerging economies are forging research collaborations to help the less well-off. The idea that poorer countries should catch up economically with wealthier ones before spending heavily on R&D was challenged by a report released last week. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report contradicts theories widely held by development professionals and international organizations such as the World Bank.

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Global launch of GEO Legacy Guidance for sustainable golf development

Gerard — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 16:40:57 GMT

The Golf Environment Organization's GEO Legacy Guidance launched to widespread acclaim following previews at the Asia Pacific Golf Summit in Bangkok and the European Golf Course Owners Association Conference in London.

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Developing Countries Get Grants for Sustainable Development

Gerard — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 16:31:09 GMT

The Environmental Economics Unit at the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg is being granted SEK 73 million from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), to continue to support six environmental economics research centres in Africa, Central America and China for the period 2011-2014.

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Technology: IBM predicts five big tech innovations coming by 2015

Gerard — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 16:21:00 GMT

IBM unveils its fifth annual "Next Five in Five" -- a list of innovations with the potential to change the way people work, live and play over the next five years. The Next Five in Five is based on market and societal trends expected to transform our lives, as well as emerging technologies from IBM's Labs around the world that can make these innovations possible.

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Kiva.org and KIEDF Partner to Bring Online Microfinance to Israel

Gerard — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 16:00:19 GMT

Kiva, the world's first personal micro-lending website, has teamed with KIEDF (Koret Israel Economic Development Funds) to launch its first and only partnership with an Israeli microfinance institution. This alliance will allow individuals anywhere to make small loans through the Kiva website to Bedouin women of the Negev, Arab Israelis in northern Israel, and other low-income populations throughout Israel.

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Facebook for farmers: Technology empowers China's rural workers

Gerard — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:12:34 GMT

China Mobile's Nongxintong - or farming information service - launched four years ago. The company is currently focusing on expanding its delivery in China's west and south-west regions. "Building the mobile network and covering most of the country's administrative villages, we realised that there was only a network signal. In rural areas, this is not enough," explains Liu Jing, a local manager for the service at China Mobile.

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Waste as energy - a key trend for the sustainable industry in 2011

Gerard — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 20:45:39 GMT

Cascadia Capital, an investment bank serving both public and private growth companies around the world, has published its predictions for sustainable industries in 2011. One of the four predictions is that waste-to-energy technologies will grow and become part of mainstream society.

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Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes launches Jumo, social network for social activism

Gerard — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 03:09:05 GMT

Hughes, who left Facebook in 2007 to become the Obama campaign's director of online organizing, soft-launched Jumo last March. Jumo was designed to let users find, follow and support the causes important to them, and with 3,500 organizations on board at launch, would-be philanthropists should be able to find and follow something of interest upon joining.

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An appeal from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales

Gerard — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 21:30:26 GMT

Jimmy Wales founder of Wikipedia is appealing for donations to support the activity of the open encyclopedia

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Google: New Internet Traffic Record

Gerard — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 21:43:13 GMT

The internet is growing fast, but Google is growing even faster. According to online security company Arbor Networks, Google now represents an average 6.4 percent of all internet traffic. This is a new record for Google, as it gained more than 1 percent of all internet traffic share since January. Now, only one global ISP handles more traffic, and a lot of that traffic is Google's traffic, anyway. The number is even more incredible if you consider that internet traffic is growing at a staggering 40 to 45 percent each year, and Google is still gaining market share.

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University of North Carolina: Simulcast lectures broaden microfinance horizon

Gerard — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 22:35:39 GMT

Using Skype as a medium, a lecture at the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business was broadcast to UNC students along with students at other schools. The streamed lecture was part of an ongoing series that allows students to have access to the most prominent minds in microfinance.

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LemonWay: Exploring new ways to bank

Gerard — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 08:59:15 GMT

Lemon Way is an Independent Software Vendor that helps banks build a differentiated competitive advantage with innovating solutions based on mobile devices or TV channels. The software suite Wonderbank enables banks to provide their customers robust, secure, transactional solutions for routine and advanced banking enquiries.

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For the unbanked, is mobile money cheap enough?

Gerard — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 08:53:33 GMT

Claudia McKay and Mark Pickens from CGAP have pulled together a comprehensive global pricing study on banking services targeting poor, unbanked and underbanked people in Africa, Asia and Brazil. The study examines pricing for services targeting unbanked and underbanked poor people in 10 countries. The conclusion: mobile banking and other forms of branchless banking are cheaper than traditional banking, but the gap between the two may not be as wide as some may think.

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Europe: Google, Facebook to face tougher EU privacy rules

Gerard — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 17:18:50 GMT

The European Union (EU) wants stronger privacy rules to give Internet users more control over how social-networking sites such as Facebook, or search engines such as Google use their personal information.

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Probanx - Core Banking Software - Microfinance Software

Gerard — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:56:44 GMT

Probanx Information Systems specializes in development of software for the financial institutions, offering multi-currency and multi-lingual banking systems with a large variety of modules, based on the latest technologies. We install and support turn-key international Banking Software and Microfinance Software solutions for retail banks, commercial banks, Internet banks and microfinance banks.

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Book: The Case for Sustainable Business as Good Business

Gerard — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:29:08 GMT

In their book "Sustainable Excellence", Aron Cramer and Zachary Karabell make a compelling case for why a focus on sustainability -- whether it concerns, for example, climate change, energy consumption or labor relations -- is now a form of enlightened self-interest for businesses. For starters, commodity prices have been soaring as investors wake up to a world marked by rapid population growth and overstretched resources.

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High Networth Investor Takes A Piece Of FINO

Gerard — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:45:11 GMT

Even as the microfinance sector is facing the possibility of new regulations that will reduce interest rates lenders charge in Indian hinterland, perhaps resulting in a drop in margins, rich Indians still feel there is money to be made at least in firms providing services to firms doing business at the ‘bottom of the pyramid’.

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LemonWay: Exploring new ways to bank

Gerard — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 22:23:24 GMT

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Mobile is the future of microfinance?

Gerard — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 02:13:36 GMT

Lyon created a system to bring formal financial services to microfinance institutions and poor entrepreneurs via a mobile phone. He believes the new software, to be launched by the organization he founded, FrontlineSMS:Credit, could change the world of microfinance by changing the way the poor interact with the institutions.

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Leading private financial institution established in Lao PDR

Gerard — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 21:37:00 GMT

Newton Microfinance Institution is the leading private financial institution in Lao PDR. Their vision is to make sure that every Lao resident not only has access to but also benefits from the financial blessings globally enjoyed. They are installing Internet banking services to their clients in several languages including Lao, English, french, etc.

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Oikocredit wins award for development microfinance

Gerard — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:40:08 GMT

Oikocredit, the innovative development financing organisation, has been given an award in recognition of its contribution to socially responsible investing. The award has been made by The Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP).

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The Asia Social Entrepreneurs of the Year

Gerard — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 21:51:47 GMT

Three Social Entrepreneurs have been recognized as leading social innovators in Asia during the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2010, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China, 13-15 September.

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The Five Best Mobile Apps Now in American Banks

Gerard — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 04:22:45 GMT

Lots of banks are getting on board with basic mobile banking this year, but there's not been too much innovation when it comes to functionality. A handful of banks are leading the way with widely available capabilities that set them apart from the pack.

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Payment systems costing online retailers time and money: survey

Gerard — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 04:38:23 GMT

Online retailers are spending too much time and money dealing with card not present payments, a new study has found. “It is surprising that UK merchants are still opting to continue with manual reconciliation and patchwork payment systems.”

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All new Nokia smartphones to come with NFC from 2011

Gerard — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 04:25:57 GMT

The announcement was made by a top Nokia executive at the Mobey Forum's 10th anniversary meeting in Helsinki this morning.

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KFW: Africa Gains Connection to Globalisation

Gerard — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:10:25 GMT

KfW Entwicklungsbank is helping improve internet access in Africa: the East Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) provides about 250 million people on the continent with international communication through telephone and internet.

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Suntech to Energize Southeast Asia's Largest Solar Power Plant

Gerard — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:01:12 GMT

Suntech Power Holdings, the world's leading producer of crystalline silicon solar panels, has been selected to supply 34.5MW of solar panels for the first phase of the largest solar power plant in Thailand and Southeast Asia. Owned and operated by Bangchak Petroleum, and integrated by Solartron, the planned 44MW (38MW AC output capacity) solar power plant will be located just outside of Bangkok and generate decades of renewable energy for the booming metropolis and surrounding areas.

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Africa: Book Notes

Gerard — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:33:55 GMT

This AfricaFocus contains a diverse selection of recent books likely to be of interest and new to AfricaFocus readers. You will find, for example, new books by Africa's distinguished elders, such as Achebe, wa Thiong'o, and Mandela. Selected new books from publishers such as Africa World Press, HSRC Press, and Aflame Books. Books on topical themes such as SMS activism and other ICT developments, on India and China's relations with Africa, and on xenophobia and migration. And more.

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All Nokia Smartphones to be NFC-enabled from 2011

Gerard — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:17:03 GMT

All Nokia smartphones released by the company from 2011 will come with NFC (Near Field Communication) technology built in, according to Near Field Communications World (NFCW).

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Mobile payment users seen to reach 109 million

Gerard — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 22:04:04 GMT

Mobile payment users worldwide are forecast to increase 2.1 percent to 109 million by the end of 2010, a US-based research firm said in a report.

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Africa on the cusp of a mobile payments boom

Gerard — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:59:18 GMT

Mobile technology has the greatest chance of delivering financial services to Africa’s estimated 325 million low-income, un-banked people. Examples of African financial innovations abound and the results are being felt across the continent, where mobile phone penetration continues to skyrocket. Dianna Games writes about the success stories and the need for investors to think from the ground up.

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Georgia: MobiPay will change your life

Gerard — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:41:32 GMT

On July 1 Open Revolution and Geocell announced the ultimate innovative mobile payment method - MobiPay, which allows you to make purchases, bill payments and person to person money transfers much more easily, more quickly, more safely and more conveniently by mobile phone.

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Ghana: Prestigious US$350,000 Africa Entrepreneurship Prize Launched

Gerard — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 21:54:07 GMT

2010 Legatum Africa Awards to Recognise and Reward Africa's Entrepreneurial Business Leaders. Awards Ceremony to be Hosted in Accra, Ghana

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Speakers booked for the inaugural 2010 Innovative Giving Conference

Gerard — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:51:59 GMT

Non-profit industry leaders, telephone carriers and technologists are joining the Innovative Giving Conference entitled ‘Mobile Giving and Communication Demystified’ held September 27th – 28th in Malibu

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The Complete Mobile Donor Plan

Gerard — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:58:09 GMT

MobileCause provides simple and powuerful ways to connect with your donors in the most personal way possible - their mobile device. As the leading web service for cause-related mobile communication and fundraising technology, the MobileCause complete mobile donor plan enables your cause to join this exciting new movement in a few easy steps. Let MobileCause mobilize your cause!

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IFC Partners eTranzact on MobileMoney Project

Gerard — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:00:28 GMT

As part of efforts to bridge the gap between the banked and the unbanked population of Nigeria, eTranzact in conjunction with International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, have embarked on a pilot project for the rural areas in Nigeria called Rural Telephony Project (RTP) MobileMoney.

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How oil boom becomes oil doom: can Ghana use oil as a new window of development opportunity?

Gerard — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:03:18 GMT

Ghana is on test as it prepares for oil production. But oil endowment itself is not a doom. How it is managed could make it a boom or a doom. While it requires a lot of sacrifice and patience to make the boom work for the economy, the country cannot equally ignore the higher price to pay if the oil resources are not managed well.

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Low awareness may mar CBN’s m-Payment regulation

Gerard — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:54:09 GMT

As applicants await approval to operate mobile payment in Nigeria, stakeholders complain that the issue of low awareness must be addressed to ensure success

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In Nigeria, power is about 40% cost of production

Gerard — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:46:27 GMT

Lack of sufficient capital to support Small Medium Enterprise (SMEs) is said be responsible for the failure of microfinance banks in the country, just as the management of TechnoGlass Industries Limited(TGI) lamented the huge monthly electricity bill paid to Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) without getting the desired services from PHCN.

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CBN jerks up capital base of micro-finance banks by 500%

Gerard — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 20:13:47 GMT

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is set to increase the minimum paid-up capital of Unit Micro-Finance Banks (MFBs) by 500 per cent to N100 million. It also increased that of State MFBs by 100 per cent to N2 billion. Under the micro-finance bank policy introduced in 2006, there are two categories of MFBs -State MFBs and Unit MFBs.

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Grameen Foundation Expanding Technology for Microfinance Initiative Working With Support From The MasterCard and Cisco Foundations

Gerard — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 02:51:11 GMT

Grameen Foundation announced it is expanding its technology for microfinance initiative to provide enhanced support to high-growth, mid-size microfinance institutions (MFIs) serving up to one million clients.

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Boost for Mobile Banking for the Unbanked

Gerard — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:10:16 GMT

CGAP, an independent microfinance center based at the World Bank, today announced a new partnership with the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to expand ongoing global efforts to use information and communication technologies (ICT), especially mobile phones, to increase access to basic financial services for the poor. In addition to a 2006 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and CGAP funding, DFID will provide GBP 8 million to the CGAP Technology Program.

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Bloom Energy reveals new 'Bloom Box' fuel cell technology

Gerard — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:45:32 GMT

Silicon Valley company Bloom Energy revealed its heavily hyped and closely guarded solid oxide fuel cell on Wednesday, heralding the technology as a likely clean-tech game-changer. The system is already in use by companies like Google, eBay, FedEx, Staples and Wal-Mart.

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Nigeria: Clickatell Provides SMS to Microfinance Bank

Gerard — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:00:17 GMT

Clickatell, a vendor of messaging, is providing in-country SMS alert services to Satelite Microfinance Bank.

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Angel Acquisition Corp. Announces 3.5 Million Dollar Private Investment for Microfinance Web Portal

Gerard — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:03:16 GMT

Angel Acquisition Corp. ("Angel Acquisition Corp." or the "Company") (OTCBB: AGEL) announced today that the Company has signed a financing agreement with a Private Investor to partner with Angel's new micro financing, micro banking and micro lending network www.angelsinaction.tv

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M&I to launch iPhone banking application

Gerard — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:43:59 GMT

M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank is adding to its mobile banking capabilities by launching an iPhone application for retail banking customers.

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Is Mobile Banking Safe: Redefining Mobile Security through App Verification

Gerard — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:49:54 GMT

Is Mobile Banking Safe: Redefining Mobile Security through App Verification Author: Eric Everson, Founder MyMobiSafe.com

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Cell Phones Empower Pakistan's Poor

Gerard — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:27:44 GMT

A pilot program in Pakistan has demonstrated the effectiveness of pushing mass literacy through the use of cell phone text messaging capability. The five-month experiment, initiated by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), targeted 250 females aged 15 to 24 years old in three districts of Pakistan's Punjab province.

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