Banking agents, or small shops contracted by banks to process client transactions, are laying the foundation for the digital transformation of the financial sector. They have also become a safer channel for clients to get cash during the pandemic. Paul Volcker, the former chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, once berated the finance industry for leading the world into … [Read more...] about Banking Agents, On the Frontlines of Financial Inclusion
How to Train Entrepreneurs? Don’t Overload Their Cognitive Bandwidth
Less is more when it comes to business training for entrepreneurs, especially for women whose cognitive bandwidth is already overtaxed by business and household demands. … [Read more...] about How to Train Entrepreneurs? Don’t Overload Their Cognitive Bandwidth
How can character count toward identifying good credit clients?
The financing gap for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Latin America and the Caribbean was estimated at $1.2 trillion in 2017, nearly a quarter of the global emerging market total. If this gap were a country, not only would it be a credit desert for most inhabitants, but it would edge out Mexico as number 15 on the list of the world’s largest economies in … [Read more...] about How can character count toward identifying good credit clients?
How men and women sharing the workload can promote regional growth
Women do more unpaid work than men, with significant consequences for the economy. From India to Denmark, the pattern is the same. While women invest an average of 4.5 hours per day in unpaid work, men invest barely 1.5 hours. It is estimated that the unpaid work that women do worldwide is equal to $12 trillion a year, or 11% of global GDP for the year 2025. In the case of … [Read more...] about How men and women sharing the workload can promote regional growth