Financial Inclusion

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Social Enterprise

Micro-loans may be trendy, but enterprises that employ more than one will grow economies

Direct micro-lending is all the rage, but while it has many advantages for the poor, not everyone needs to be an entrepreneur. Most people just want a job.

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Mobile Technology

Greased by mobile money, remittances may accelerate even more

Global remittances are on the rise. Now, coupled with mobile technology, cross-border payments are even more effective at spurring poverty alleviation, but women may lag behind.

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Youth Skills

Why financial inclusion for youth will raise all economic boats

Groups fighting for financial inclusion and youth employment united in Morocco. Will their findings promote progress?

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Mobile Technology

Coming to America: Mobile money. Why NGOs should care

Mobile money's wildfire spread across the developing world has been so successful that it's about to remake the rich world, too.

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Mobile Technology

Quotable: Mobile financial services won't reach scale without women

One way to reduce the gender gap for the unbanked is to get more women using mobile financial services.

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Value Chains

Chocolate shortage by 2020? How mini loans could save the day

Social lenders aren't meeting poor farmers' financing needs. If commercial buyers don't provide more capital, the world could face shortages of luxury cash crops.

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Mobile Technology

Mobile money soars across borders, but not between banks

Over 12 billion dollars in remittances are sent each year via mobile phones. But mobile providers must embrace the next big innovation: interoperability.

Billions of dollars are zooming around the world from one wallet to another. Photo: <a href="http://worldbank.tumblr.com/post/36217284197/which-developing-countries-received-the-most?cid=EXT_TWBN_D_EXT">The World Bank</a>

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Mobile Technology

Follow the [mobile?] money

According to a new World Bank report, most remittances are flowing to India, China, the Philippines, Mexico and Nigeria, most of it in cold, hard cash.