inclusion
Can CBDC Drive Financial Inclusion?
There are still 1.7 billion unbanked in the world. What are the reasons behind such a significant number of unbanked? Can CBDC drive their financial inclusion?
Ripple Donates $10M to Humanitarian Organization to Accelerate Financial Inclusion
Ripple has continued to be innovative in finding ways to deliver global financial inclusion amid a struggling COVID-19 economy.
Blockchain Experts Discuss: Will Blockchain Be the Missing Piece to Financial Inclusion?
The Singapore Fintech Festival rounded up blockchain discussions on the last day of the festival, focusing on one of the main themes of the event, financial inclusion.
Nobel Laureate Prof Banerjee - Applying RCT to Financial Inclusion
Economists have long theorized on and sought to implement initiatives to increase financial inclusion. What are some of the policy initiatives developing countries should adopt to drive financial reform? What effect have initiatives had thus far in facilitating this financial transformation? Prof Banerjee will speak at the Asian Financial Forum on January 14th and explain his team's groundbreaking application of randomized control testing to inclusive finance.
China Issues New ‘Bejing Action Plan’ to Accelerate the Inclusion of Blockchain in the Economy
The Chinese government issued a new “Beijing Action Plan” aiming to accelerate the inclusion of new emerging technologies in the country’s economy. China aims to leverage new technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, industrial internet, blockchain, big data, and others to promote the steady growth of Beijing’s economy post-pandemic.
World Bank Pushes to Raise the Bar for FinTech and DLT for Cross-Border Interoperability and Financial Inclusion
The World Bank Group has recently published a study, issued by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) on “Payment aspects of financial inclusion in the FinTech era,” highlighting the concepts derived using blockchain, including stablecoins, and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).
SEC Makes ICO Token Sales More Inclusive, Not Enough For SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce
The US SEC has modernized their definition of an 'accredited investor' to consider not just an individual’s wealth, but their education.
Crypto Leaders Praise United States SEC Inclusive Accredited Investor Definition, Some Think Its Not Enough
Is the SEC's new accredited investor rule inclusive enough? Crypto industry leaders debate.
Shopify Becomes Member of the Libra Association
Canadian-based e-commerce giant Shopify has announced it will become the latest member of the Libra Association's governing council.
Fasset to Drive Financial Inclusion in Indonesia with Mastercard
Digital assets-based fintech startup Fasset Technologies has partnered with payments giant Mastercard to drive financial inclusion in Indonesia.
Ripple and Onafriq Forge Alliance for Blockchain-Enabled Payments in Africa
Ripple and Onafriq are collaborating to introduce blockchain-powered cross-border payments, aiming to improve transaction efficiency and financial inclusion in Africa, the GCC, the UK, and Australia.
Ripple (XRP)'s 2023 Impact Report: Financial Inclusion and Climate Resilience
Ripple (XRP)'s 2023 Impact Report highlights strides in financial inclusion, blockchain research, and sustainability initiatives.
Tether (USDT) Commits $3M to Kem for Financial Inclusion in the Middle East
Tether invests $3 million in Kem to boost financial inclusion and USD₮ adoption in the Middle East, targeting improved economic conditions and access to financial services.
Rahat’s Rumee Singh Enhances Financial Resilience with Blockchain
Rahat, led by Rumee Singh, leverages blockchain technology to support financially vulnerable populations globally, winning accolades and grants.
Tether (USDT) Invests $1.5 Million in Sorted Wallet to Boost Financial Inclusion
Tether invests $1.5M in Sorted Wallet to enhance financial inclusion in emerging markets, focusing on Africa and Southern Asia.
Bitcoin: The Progressive's Dream Financial Product
Pantera Capital outlines why Bitcoin embodies the ideal financial inclusion product, emphasizing its borderless, permissionless, and cost-effective features.
GitHub's 2024 Initiatives for Diversity and Inclusion Highlight Global Impact
GitHub emphasizes diversity and inclusion in 2024, focusing on ethical AI, open source education in Africa, and workforce diversity, according to The GitHub Blog.
IMF Emphasizes Digitalization in Financial Inclusion Agenda
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva emphasizes the role of digitalization in expanding financial inclusion. She calls for a balanced approach that includes regulation to ensure financial stability. The IMF has also been active in digital finance, recently presenting a crypto-risk assessment tool.
Block's AUD$3M Investment Boosts Indigenous Business Sector in Australia
Block Inc. invests AUD$3 million in First Australians Capital's new fund, supporting Indigenous businesses in Australia, aiming to empower entrepreneurs, foster economic growth, and create community wealth.
Fonbnk and Tanda Partner to Launch Airtime Trading Marketplace in East Africa
Fonbnk and Tanda have partnered to launch an airtime trading marketplace in East Africa, allowing micro-entrepreneurs to earn revenue and store their profits in dollarized stablecoins. The partnership increases liquidity in the marketplace through the buying and selling of prepaid airtime for profit, providing more earning opportunities and creating a growth flywheel effect through improved liquidity and marketplace efficiency.
Global Microfinance Market Projected to Reach $506 Billion by 2030
The global microfinance market, valued at $200 billion in 2022, is expected to grow to $506 billion by 2030, according to a new report by ResearchAndMarkets.com. The market is set to expand at a CAGR of 12.3% from 2022 to 2030. Microenterprises are identified as a vital growth driver for Microfinance Institutions (MFIs). The report also highlights the role of emerging technologies like AI and blockchain in shaping the industry.
Shapella Upgrade, Privacy Concerns, Hacks, and Financial Inclusion
The DeFi space had a busy week with the successful completion of the Shapella upgrade on Ethereum, concerns over privacy related to staking, a major DeFi hack, and a partnership between Fonbnk and Tanda to increase financial inclusion in Africa. The top 100 DeFi tokens had a bullish week, and Glassnode predicted only a small percentage of staked ETH would be withdrawn.
BIS Survey: 93% of Central Banks Engaged in CBDCs, 15 Retail and 9 Wholesale CBDCs Expected by 2030
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has released a survey revealing that 93% of central banks are now engaged in some form of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) work, with retail CBDCs taking the lead over wholesale CBDCs.
Circle's 2024 USDC Economy Report Reveals Significant Growth in Stablecoin Adoption
Circle's 2024 report on the USDC economy highlights significant growth in stablecoin adoption and usage, with a 59% increase in USDC wallets and over $12 trillion settled in blockchain transactions since its inception.
BlackRock CEO Highlights Digital Assets and Tokenization
Larry Fink's annual letter to BlackRock highlights the potential of digital assets and tokenization, citing advancements in digital payment solutions for financial inclusion in emerging markets.
Mastercard VP On Blockchain, Digital Assets and CBDC: “Everything Ends in Transactions and Payments”
Ashok Venkateswaran, Mastercard’s Blockchain and Digital Assets Lead, Asia Pacific shares insights on the payment giant's new blockchain and digital initiatives.
Electroneum CEO Richard Ells: How ETN Mass Adoption is Empowering the Unbanked
Electroneum is a mobile cryptocurrency that is making serious strides with mass adoption and real-world use in developing nations.
The Bahamas Becomes First Country to Launch its CBDC, the ‘Sand Dollar’
The Bahamas has launched the Sand Dollar, making it the first country in the world to officially release a central bank digital currency (CBDC) beyond the testing phase.
Digital Currency and the Financial Inclusion Drive: The Journey So Far
With the digital currency ecosystem running toe-to-toe with traditional finance, here is a brief look into the journey thus far on the industry's financial inclusion drive.
Tokenize the Future: What Tokenization Means For Financial Access
Thanks to advances in financial and blockchain technology, any tradeable asset can be digitally represented as a token and issued onto a blockchain creating greater access.
Could Blockchain Increase Diversity in the Way Films are Nominated for the Academy Awards?
The film awards season has finally passed for the year and a look back over the last few weeks, unfortunately, uncovers lingering problems with diversity among the nominations for both the BAFTAs and the Academy Awards (Oscars). Could blockchain provide a solution?
Bahamas Looks to Deploy its CBDC The Sand Dollar Across Borders
The Central Bank of the Bahamas (CBOB) has says it wants its digital currency dubbed the Sand Dollars integrated with other countries' currency.
Human Rights Foundation Chief Strategy Officer: Bitcoin Saves Lives, Increases Freedom and Gives Hope
Alex Gladstein, the CSO of the Human Rights Foundation blasted a reporter who called Bitcoin the “perfect Ponzi”, explaining that BTC crypto creates freedom and gives hope.
FUSANG Exchange Announces CCB $3 Billion Digital Bond Listing Suspended
FUSANG exchange announced that the listing of the $3 billion digital bond backed by China Construction Bank has been suspended.
FUSANG Exchange Lists First Publicly Available Blockchain-Based Digital Bond Backed by CCB
Asia’s first digital security exchange FUSANG is partnering with heavy weight China Construction Bank (CCB) to offer the first ever digital, tokenized, blockchain-based bond.
Cardano Working With SA Blockchain Alliance to Free African Enterprise from Politically Entrenched Legacy Banking Systems
The Cardano Foundation has partnered with the South African National Blockchain Alliance (SANBA) in a bid to expand blockchain adoption and bring financial inclusion to the country of 59 million.
UK Media Mogul Calls DeFi a Revolution Against Corrupt Global Banking System
Alexander Lebedev, the billionaire UK media mogul and former banker has endorsed the revolutionary power of DeFi against a corrupt global banking system.
PARSIQ Integrates Chainlink Oracle Price Feeds to Trigger Off-Chain Actions and Trading Decisions
Blockchain monitoring and automation platform PARSIQ has integrated Chainlink price oracles to trigger off-chain actions and trading decisions.
Nobel Prize Winning Economist Abhijit Banerjee: Is Blockchain the Key to Financial Inclusion?
While Nobel Prize-winning economist Prof. Banerjee is no expert in blockchain or FinTech services, we went along to the Asian Financial Forum to find out his thoughts on the application of FinTech and Blockchain to facilitate inclusive finance for the developing world. His response surprised us.
World Economic Forum Views Cryptocurrency as Pivotal Tool for Financial Inclusion
The WEF thinks cryptocurrencies can be pivotal in offering financial services to one-third of the world’s adults, approximately 2 billion people, who are unbanked.
Paxful to Boost Financial Inclusion with Its First Crypto Debit Card
Bitcoin trading platform Paxful announced that it will be adding a crypto debit card to its financial services.
Bitcoin Can’t Drive Financial Inclusion for Unbanked But CBDC Can says Mastercard CEO
Ajay Banga, the CEO of Mastercard believes Bitcoin is unable to function as an inclusive currency for the world’s unbanked due to volatility, CBDCs are a different story.
Ripple Official Says Blockchain and Digital Assets like XRP Will Transform The Finance Industry
Ripple's Ken Weber explains how financial inclusion can be achieved with blockchain and digital assets like XRP.
Exclusive: Access, Connectivity and Inclusion—How UNICEF Leverages Blockchain to Close the Digital Divide
Christina Lomazzo is the Blockchain Lead for UNICEF’s Office of Innovation; whose work mainly involves leading the blockchain efforts at UNICEF Ventures where she heads up a diverse team of six. Together they invest in early technology prototypes that they assess and determine could have an exponential impact on UNICEF’s operations and ability to fulfill its mission across the developing world.