microinsurance

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Global Ideas News Brief: International development conundrum

A weekly round-up of mainstream news about the context in which Mercy Corps works, focused on economic development and innovations.

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Financial Inclusion

Innovations Explored: How insurance protects pastoralists in Kenya

An unconventional insurance program developed by Mercy Corps is helping pastoralists in Kenya preserve their way of life, despite the threat of annual drought and the associated loss of livestock. Because of its innovative design, the insurance encourages drought mitigation techniques and is profitable for the insurer.

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Mobile Technology

Monopoly No More: New Players Threaten M-Pesa's Mobile Money Dominance

M-Pesa’s mobile money-transfer service has been a sweeping success story in Kenya. But advances in the banking sector are catching up and new rivals are joining the race with their own mobile platforms.

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Financial Inclusion

The Next Frontier of Financial Services (Part 1)

Microinsurance payouts can mean the difference between falling back into abject poverty and continuing to climb the ladder of prosperity. But the concept hasn't gotten much play in the development world. Is that about to change?

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Financial Inclusion

The MasterCard Foundation Wants to Change the Financial Game for World’s Poor

Shiva Kumar is the face of India’s hard-working poor in a new video from CGAP.

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Global Ideas News Brief: Girls education + Affordable solar

Staff picks: What we're reading this week.

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Financial Inclusion

How Typhoon Haiyan opens a door to financial inclusion, and long-term recovery

IDEO.org brings its human-centered design approach to the Philippines to help Mercy Corps and BanKO design a new financial product for those hit by the typhoon.

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Mobile Technology

Calling for coverage: How the global poor are cashing in mobile minutes for insurance

A start-up microinsurer in Sweden has figured out how to sell insurance products to the very poor: Bundle it with their mobile-phone package.

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Global Ideas News Brief: Last mile design + Funding startups

Last mile design, funding startups, and a the end of the 'developing world.' Staff Picks: What we're reading this week.

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Global Ideas News Brief: Improving microinsurance + Building peace online

Improving microinsurance, building peace online, and why solar lamps are like cash transfers. Staff Picks: What we're reading this week.

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Value Chains

Quotable: 20 years ago, fighting poverty felt futile. Not so today.

"Twenty years ago we spoke about the poor with a sense of futility, and I think now when you talk about the base of the pyramid, more often than not you're talking about markets and opportunities."

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Twitter and international development: Who to follow and why

Here's a list of three interesting users to follow for each of Global Envision’s six beats.

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Mercy Corps mobilizes emergency response team to Philippines

Mercy Corps is mobilizing a team of emergency responders, including experts in water, sanitation and logistics, into the areas devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan.

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Financial Inclusion

When rural clients can't get to the bank, mobile banking vans bring the bank to them

Mobile banking vans in Uganda, Rwanda and the Philippines now offer bank accounts, financial education and microinsurance to rural customers who previously had little access to financial services.

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Financial Inclusion

Insurance against financial catastrophe? The poor aren’t buying it

Microinsurance is the darling of economists looking for a new way to alleviate poverty. For a pittance, they argue, the very poor can be saved from financial ruin in the event of a medical emergency or crop failure.