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This week, On A Water Break: Around the World takes us to the Philippines, where host Grantis Peranda sits down with percussionist, educator, and visionary leader Patricia Real Barairo, founder of the Color Guard Alliance of the Philippines (CGAP).Patricia shares her journey from her early days in Quezon City's drum & lyre scene to building a nationwide network of performers, directors, and choreographers that are redefining what color guard looks like in Southeast Asia.Host: Grantis Peranda (@grantisimo_p)Guest: Patricia Real Barairo (@colorguardphilippines)In this episode:– what drum & lyre means in the Philippines– how Patricia transitioned from percussion to pageantry– founding CGAP and performing at WGI Asia– traveling across 7,000 islands for competitions– the rise of Camp Spin, Spin Fest, and color guard battles– launching WMBO: the World Marching Band Organization– how color guard is becoming part of Filipino festivals, TV, and weddingsCGAP turns 10 in 2025, and Patricia has big plans: concerts, workshops, competitions, an equipment expo, and international appearances in Thailand, Malaysia, and beyond.
I'm not a financial advisor; Superpowers for Good should not be considered investment advice. Seek counsel before making investment decisions.Watch the show on television by downloading the e360tv channel app to your Roku, AppleTV or AmazonFireTV. You can also see it on YouTube.When you purchase an item, launch a campaign or create an investment account after clicking a link here, we may earn a fee. Engage to support our work.Has your business been impacted by the recent fires? Apply now for a chance to receive one of 10 free tickets to SuperCrowdLA on May 2nd and 3rd and gain the tools to rebuild and grow!Devin: What is your superpower?Brigit: I would say authenticity.The power of social entrepreneurship to drive meaningful change in the world is undeniable. At the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, the mission is clear: leverage market forces to end poverty. Executive Director Brigit Helms leads the charge, helping entrepreneurs apply business principles to solve social and environmental challenges."The purpose of a business is purpose," Brigit explained. "The primary reason for having your business is to solve a social or environmental problem that you see around you in your community."Miller Center's impact speaks for itself. Since its founding, it has accelerated over 1,500 social enterprises across 100 countries. With a strong emphasis on women's economic power and climate resilience, the center has catalyzed transformative change in communities worldwide. Brigit highlighted the success of Someone Somewhere, a company based in Mexico that sources artisan work from some of the country's poorest regions. By securing a major contract with Delta Airlines, the company provided thousands of artisans with the opportunity to triple their income.The center's success is measured in tangible results. In 2020, Miller Center set a goal to double the number of lives improved through its entrepreneur network from 75 million to 150 million by 2025. They surpassed that goal ahead of schedule, reaching over 180 million lives impacted. Additionally, entrepreneurs in their programs have seen remarkable growth in fundraising, with capital raised per entrepreneur rising from an average of $500,000 to $2.1 million.Beyond these achievements, Brigit envisions a future where social entrepreneurship is no longer a niche concept but an integral part of all business endeavors. "One of my personal dreams is that all entrepreneurship can be considered social entrepreneurship," she said. "That we don't even have to use that qualifier."As Miller Center looks toward 2030, it aims to foster a stronger global community among its network of entrepreneurs. The shift from transactional support to an interconnected platform of changemakers aligns with the growing demand for community-driven solutions.For those looking to engage, opportunities abound. Miller Center's mentor program allows seasoned professionals to guide emerging social entrepreneurs, while its venture philanthropy fund provides catalytic capital to scalable ventures. As Brigit pointed out, investing in social entrepreneurship creates lasting impact, making it an appealing option for those seeking meaningful ways to contribute to a better world.Miller Center's work proves that entrepreneurship is more than just a pathway to financial success—it is a powerful tool for tackling society's most pressing issues.tl;dr:Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship accelerates social enterprises to end poverty by leveraging business principles.The center has impacted over 180 million lives and helped entrepreneurs raise significant capital.Women's economic power and climate resilience are key focus areas for the center's programs.Brigit's superpower is authenticity, which she uses to foster trust and drive meaningful leadership.Miller Center is shifting toward building a global community of entrepreneurs to drive systemic change.How to Develop Authenticity As a SuperpowerBrigit Helms believes her superpower is authenticity. "What you see is pretty much what you get with me," she explained. She has built a career by fostering environments where people feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to the table. Brigit embraces cognitive diversity and encourages open discussions where differing opinions are valued. "Even if you're the only one in the room with a different opinion, you should feel comfortable voicing it," she said. This dedication to authenticity has helped her build strong teams and drive impactful change.An Example of Authentic LeadershipWhen Brigit arrived at Miller Center in 2020, the pandemic made traditional strategic planning impossible. Instead of gathering people in a room for brainstorming, she adapted. Breaking the process into smaller, virtual conversations, she ensured that over 100 voices worldwide contributed to Miller Center's strategic direction. "We ended up with a better product because we included perspectives that might have been overlooked in a typical process," she reflected. Her ability to pivot while staying true to her leadership style reinforced her commitment to authenticity.Tips for Developing AuthenticityBuild Trust Through Vulnerability: Be open about mistakes and ask for help when needed.Encourage Diverse Perspectives: Welcome differing opinions and create space for honest discussions.Foster Psychological Safety: Ensure that team members feel comfortable sharing their thoughts without fear.Practice Self-Reflection: Regularly evaluate whether your actions align with your core values.Embrace Change While Staying True to Yourself: Adapt to new challenges without compromising integrity.By following Brigit's example and advice, you can make authenticity a skill. With practice and effort, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world.Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you!Guest ProfileBrigit Helms (she/her):Executive Director, Miller Center for Social EntrepreneurshipAbout Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship: For over 25 years, Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship has been a leader in the global social enterprise movement. With an emphasis on climate resilience and women's economic power, it accelerates entrepreneurship to end poverty and protect the planet, guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Located at Santa Clara University, the center fuses the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley with the university's heritage of social justice, community engagement, and global impact. Miller Center has served 1,500 social enterprises based in over 100 countries that are impacting hundreds of millions of lives.Website: millersocent.orgCompany Facebook Page: facebook.com/millersocentOther URL: mysantaclara.scu.edu/givenow?designation=Miller%20Center%20for%20Social%20Entrepreneurship (fundraising page)Biographical Information:Brigit Helms is the Executive Director of Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University, where she holds the Howard & Alida Charney Professorship for Science, Technology, and Society. For over 30 years, Helms has created and delivered solutions to social and environmental challenges in 55 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. She has held leadership roles at DAI, the Multilateral Investment Fund (now IDB Lab), McKinsey & Company, and the World Bank Group, where she was a founding executive at CGAP, a center of excellence for financial inclusion. Helms is the author of Access for All: Building Inclusive Economic Systems and serves on the boards of the AlphaMundi Foundation and BRAC USA. She earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in development and agricultural economics from Stanford University, an M.A. in Latin American studies from Johns Hopkins, and a B.S. in political science from Santa Clara University.Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/millercenter, linkedin.com/in/bhelmsInstagram Handle: @miller.socentSupport Our SponsorsOur generous sponsors make our work possible, serving impact investors, social entrepreneurs, community builders and diverse founders. Today's advertisers include FundingHope, AMIBA, SuperCrowdLA and Crowdfunding Made Simple. Learn more about advertising with us here.Max-Impact MembersThe following Max-Impact Members provide valuable financial support:Carol Fineagan, Independent Consultant | Lory Moore, Lory Moore Law | Marcia Brinton, High Desert Gear | Paul Lovejoy, Stakeholder Enterprise | Pearl Wright, Global Changemaker | Ralf Mandt, Next Pitch | Scott Thorpe, Philanthropist | Add Your Name HereUpcoming SuperCrowd Event CalendarIf a location is not noted, the events below are virtual.Impact Cherub Club Meeting hosted by The Super Crowd, Inc., a public benefit corporation, on March 18, 2024, at 1:00 PM Eastern. Each month, the Club meets to review new offerings for investment consideration and to conduct due diligence on previously screened deals. To join the Impact Cherub Club, become an Impact Member of the SuperCrowd.SuperCrowdHour, March 19, 2025, at 1:00 PM Eastern. Devin Thorpe will be leading a session on "How to Build a VC-Style Impact Crowdfunding Portfolio." He'll share expert insights on diversifying investments, identifying high-potential impact ventures, and leveraging crowdfunding for both financial and social returns. Whether you're an experienced investor or just getting started, this is a must-attend! Don't miss it!SuperCrowdLA: we're going to be live in Santa Monica, California, May 1-3. Plan to join us for a major, in-person event focused on scaling impact. Sponsored by Digital Niche Agency, ProActive Real Estate and others. This will be a can't-miss event. Has your business been impacted by the recent fires? Apply now for a chance to receive one of 10 free tickets to SuperCrowdLA on May 2nd and 3rd and gain the tools to rebuild and grow! SuperCrowd25, August 21st and 22nd: This two-day virtual event is an annual tradition but with big upgrades for 2025! We'll be streaming live across the web and on TV via e360tv. Soon, we'll open a process for nominating speakers. Check back!Community Event CalendarSuccessful Funding with Karl Dakin, Tuesdays at 10:00 AM ET - Click on Events.Igniting Community Capital to Build Outdoor Recreation Communities, Crowdfund Better, Thursdays, March 20 & 27, April 3 & 10, 2025, at 1:00 PM ET.Asheville Neighborhood Economics, April 1-2, 2-25.Regulated Investment Crowdfunding Summit 2025, Crowdfunding Professional Association, Washington DC, October 21-22, 2025.Call for community action:Please show your support for a tax credit for investments made via Regulation Crowdfunding, benefiting both the investors and the small businesses that receive the investments. Learn more here.If you would like to submit an event for us to share with the 9,000+ changemakers, investors and entrepreneurs who are members of the SuperCrowd, click here. Get full access to Superpowers for Good at www.superpowers4good.com/subscribe
CGD's Kehinde Ajayi speaks with UNICEF's Ruth Graham-Goulder and CGAP's Rani Deshpande about the importance of including adolescent girls' perspectives to inform policy, of working across sectors to provide multi-issue solutions, and of developing financial and economic interventions that reflect adolescent girls' realities.
2024 is "virtually certain" to be the hottest on record. In recent months, the world has seen back-to-back hurricanes, catastrophic flooding, devastating typhoons and severe drought. It is against this backdrop that global leaders gather at the COP29 UN climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, where a draft text of the new climate finance target was published. The finance agreement - also known as the New Collective Quantified Goal - would apply when the current US$100bn per annum target ends in 2025, and will be crucial for scaling up finance for climate action around the world. With more than a week of talks ahead, the final outcome is still uncertain. However, the text contains many options still under consideration, as world leaders and negotiators work out a new financial target to support developing countries in their climate actions post-2025. On this episode of Climate Connections, Sophie Sirtaine, CEO of CGAP - an international partnership housed in the World Bank Group, dedicated to promoting inclusive financial ecosystems - weighs in on what's at stake. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)Voiced by: Audrey SiekPhoto credits: Unsplash/Atul PandeyMusic credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributorsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ha llegado el Episodio número 8 del Podcast de Acelera Academy, creado por expertos financieros para mejorar la educación financiera de nuestro país y brindarte consejos practicos para el manejo de tu dinero. En esta ocasión tenemos con nosotros a Jesús Chávez, Director de Análisis y Estadísticas de Servicios y Productos Financieros en la CONDUSEF desde 2010. En este episodio platicamos de las diferentes formas en que operan los fraudes para robar el patrimonio de las personas y la importancia de proteger tus datos personales. Jesús Chávez Ha colaborado en el INEGI en la Ciudad de México y en proyectos de investigación, estudios estadísticos y financieros con el Banco Mundial, CGAP y la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE). Jesús Chávez – Luis Tinajero – https://www.linkedin.com/in/luistinajero/ Acelera Academy – https://www.acelera-academy.com Síguenos en redes socialesFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AceleraAcademy1 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/acelera.academy/ LinkedIn – https://mx.linkedin.com/company/acelera-academy
Winning Through Platforms: How to Succeed When Every Competitor Has One (American Marketing Association) by Ted Moser, Charlotte Bloom, Omar Akhtar https://amzn.to/4atbvZh Winning through Platforms is your new go-to guide for modern competitive advantage. Digital platforms are no longer for just the tech elite. They're spreading to every company and industry, powered by the growth of customer sensors, streaming data, and artificial intelligence―lighting the valuable customer Use journey that was formerly dark. How will you succeed when your markets get platform-crowded? Three senior advisers to the world's leading technology companies reveal how to win through platforms when every competitor has one. Winning through Platforms decodes growth moves from a decade of platform competition, communicates them through a platform playbook. It's a treasure trove of 24 proven platform strategies―such as customer coalition design, in-use enrichment, AI branding, and much more. These playbook strategies are delivered through engaging stories of over 50 companies, plus proprietary frameworks and workshop-style questions that lead you to act. This game-changing playbook will teach you how to: Revitalize your business through strategic use of platforms Design platforms that are compelling to customers and hard for competitors to match Accelerate in-market growth through brand-and-demand excellence that spans your customer's entire platform journey Innovate in high-impact benefit areas to differentiate your platform Elevate your customer's personal platform experience Transform your enterprise and operations to drive superior performance Every CEO, innovator, go-to-market leader, and aspiring professional will gain valuable insight through this book. Whether your company is just starting on its first platform journey or is a born platform disruptor, this book will transform your ability to win. Learn the platform playbook. Find and apply your plays. This book forms part of the American Marketing Association (AMA) leadership series. About the author Ted Moser is a Senior Partner at Prophet, a growth and transformation consultancy. He helps leading technology-based companies to anticipate customer and market evolution, craft distinctive value growth strategies, and realizetheir ambitions. He holds an MBA with highest honors in marketing and strategy from the Wharton Business School, following a BS in Political Science from Wheaton College. Based in San Francisco, he has lived and worked extensively in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. His published thought leadership focuses on pattern recognition that helps companies thrive in the face of change. He previously co-authored Profit Patterns to identify how profit pools would shiftwith Internet business model innovation. In recent years, his extensive consulting work with global platform leaders and with companies transforming to platforms inspired him to write Winning Through Platforms. Ted supports global microfinance development as a lifelong avocation. He has helped to scale the Opportunity International microfinance network, which has served over 250 million of the world's poor and is developing innovative platforms to better serve poor farmers, schools, and microentrepreneurs. He served on program boards of CGAP, the World Bank-affiliated multilateral research group, to help extend the boundaries of global digital financial inclusion.
Women have always been responsible for managing the household budget and cash, but they are notoriously bad when it comes to planning their financial assets. In this episode of This Round Is On Me with Gauri Devidayal, we will be talking about women and finance. All the triggers that get them to take charge of their money and also the barriers that prevent them from doing so. And that's where fin tech comes in. Joining Gauri, is Shinjini Kumar, the Director and Co-Founder of SALT-mysaltapp, a women-first fintech platform. Prior to this, she was the business head for Citibank's consumer businesses in India. Shinjini has spent over thirty years in senior leadership positions across organizations including the Reserve Bank of India, Bank of America Merryll Lynch, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Paytm Payments Bank. She served as an independent director on the Boards of a few companies and is a Member-at-large on the Executive Council of CGAP. In between entrepreneurship, public speaking, contributing articles, and points of view on business and finance, she also writes short fiction and is the founder of the Indian Novels Collective, an initiative to popularize translation of Indian literature. Check out all the amazing episodes of 'This Round Is On Me' Podcast: ("This Round Is On Me with Gauri Devidayal")Follow Shinjini Kumar on Instagram: @shinjinikumar You can follow Gauri on Instagram: @gauridevidayal Twitter: @gauridetails Tune into fresh episodes every Wednesday on IVM Podcast Networks and all audio streaming platforms. This Round Is On Me is an insightful show which focuses on global topics and trends emerging post the pandemic and deep dives into them with industry Thought Leaders and Experts. The show aims to inspire and challenge you, and perhaps help you rewire your approach going forward. Your host, Gauri Devidayal, is a Partner at Food Matters India Pvt. Ltd. and co-founder of F&B brands including The Table, Magazine St. Kitchen, Mag St Bread Co, The Table Farm, Miss T, Mei 13 and Iktara. Being an entrepreneur in the F&B industry, Gauri Devidayal will bring in her experience and stories to cover different viewpoints in the show along with the guests. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or any other podcast app.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Memeraki is the love child of my love for art”, says Yosha Gupta, our guest for today's episode and the founder of Memeraki, India's first ‘culture-tech' platform that uses technology to empower and accelerate the artisan creator economy; with a mission to digitise every heritage art and craft of India to ultimately create sustainable livelihoods for artisans while unlocking creative human potential globally. Yosha has had a passion for traditional art and culture since her childhood. Her venture brings art and technology, the two things she deeply cares about, together. Tune in to listen to Yosha talk about bringing recognition to artists and preserving culture while generating revenue. About: Memeraki has been covered across media outlets like Forbes, SCMP, Tatler, Apple Daily, Hindu, Indian Express and more. Yosha was previously the Founder & CEO of a cashback app with over 1million downloads in India backed by 500 Startups, Vectr Ventures, Facebook's FBStart programme as well as Cyberport's Startup programme in Hong Kong. Yosha has spent 15 years in the FinTech sector and worked across Asia as a Financial Inclusion Consultant with CGAP and IFC World Bank Group and also done projects with Ideo and the Gates Foundation.She is a regular speaker at digital and payments events as well as an advisor to start-ups. Yosha was appointed to the Diversity List 2018 for Hong Kong which aims to give ethnic minorities of Hong Kong a voice in decision making and policy, particularly in government advisory bodies. She was awarded ‘Most Influential Payments Professional' by World BFSI Congress and Awards 2018, India.Follow us on : https://www.instagram.com/successwithsavitha/https://www.linkedin.com/in/savithananjappa/
Our Pacific Exchanges team recently hosted a special Financial Inclusion and Beyond live virtual event that explored lessons from around the world in the use of technology and public policy to build more inclusive financial systems and drive financial health. The event was moderated by Sean Creehan, the team's lead for financial health and inclusion, and brought together professionals from different corners of the financial inclusion and health spaces, including Greta Bull, the president and chief executive officer of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP); José Quiñonez, the founding chief executive officer of Mission Asset Fund (MAF); Arjuna Costa, a managing partner at Flourish Ventures; and Ting Jiang, a behavioral economist. We're excited to share the live event in full as a special episode of Financial Inclusion and Beyond. Regular listeners of the podcast will recognize these voices from their episodes throughout the season; the live event allowed them to discuss how they were managing the challenges to inclusion posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some take-aways from the live event include: The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected efforts to improve financial inclusion and health. Organizations like CGAP, a World Bank Group affiliate, and MAF, which traditionally focus on the longer-term issues of inclusion, had to re-focus efforts almost overnight to deal with issues related to public health. Those countries which had invested in digital financial system infrastructure could respond with stimulus relief quicker than those which relied on traditional models. Ting Jiang zeroed in the pandemic's effects at the individual level. At the individual level, it is important to adapt behaviors and develop products and technologies that withstand moments of stress. The poor shouldn't be forced to be secondary or third-order users of financial products but should have access to products designed for their lifestyles at an affordable cost. Fintech should be celebrated when it is also in service of the poor, not simply because it is a shiny new toy.
In episode two of our series Financial Inclusion & Beyond, we spoke with Greta Bull, the chief executive officer of CGAP (the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) and a director at the World Bank. Greta is an expert in development finance, primarily focused on small and medium enterprise finance, microfinance, and digital financial services. We sat down to discuss the history of financial inclusion efforts and the evolution of the financial inclusion movement, the micro and macro effects of inclusion, and lessons learned from various efforts around the globe. Key takeaways from the discussion include: While global inclusion efforts have taken different paths, they all seem to be converging at the ‘platformization’ of financials services. The modern financial inclusion movement evolved from microfinance in the 1970s and 80s in countries like Bangladesh and reached scale with the creation of digital credit by the mobile network operator (MNO) M-Pesa in Kenya in 2008. Today, fintechs and banks have been competing across a disaggregated landscape of financial services and are moving to new platforms that offer a range of competing services to the public. Financial inclusion has traditionally meant the inclusion in formal financial systems of poor people in emerging markets. Effectively done, it provides access to financial services to people who previously didn't have them; establishes a viable and reliable alternative to working entirely with cash; and adds value to people's lives. Financial inclusion can significantly improve individuals lives. Efforts over the past decade have been effective in bringing 1.2 billion individuals into the formal financial system, but 1.7 billion remain excluded. There is still work to do, both in expanding and deepening inclusion and harnessing these efforts to expand global growth. Please note that the initial interview was recorded prior to the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. Related Content All humanity can benefit from the digitization of finance Great Expectations: Fintech and the Poor Financial Inclusion: Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full? (Pt 1) Financial Inclusion: Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full? (Pt 2) The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco or of the Federal Reserve System.
My guests today are leaders in the drive to bring the world’s poor into the formal financial system. They are Sharmista Appaya, Financial Sector Specialist at the World Bank Group, and Ivo Jenik, Financial Sector Specialist at CGAP. CGAP stands for the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor and sits within the World Bank as essentially a financial inclusion think tank.
Today’s guest leads one of the most important institutions in that movement. She is Greta Bull, a director of the World Bank and CEO of CGap, the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor. In our conversation, Greta describes the progress and also the daunting work ahead. She talks about challenges in cyber-security. She talks about interoperability -- how to address fragmentation within and between markets, since digital finance is all about scale. She explains the role of e-commerce in driving change in various parts of the world. She talks about the potential role of big tech firms, their strengths in leveraging data, and the challenge of working with financial systems that have an analog-to-digital interface. She talks about the need to help people become financially resilient, so that they can weather shocks without falling so far backwards that they can’t recover. She explains where we are in solving the gender gap in financial access, which continues to be very high.
To find out more, visit the website of MeXCo, join Andares and follow Barbara on Twitter.The study on repayment rates of digital loans in Kenya and Tanzania was carried out by CGAP, FSD Kenya and FSD Tanzania.And the video of MeXCo team's award for bravery can be seen on Instagram.
In this episode, the series finale, we hear from some of our thought leader contributors about the keys to the future of organizational learning in development. Today’s contributors are: - Gwen Hines, until recently the Director for International Relations, DFID - Kerry Albright, Chief of Research Facilitation & KM, UNICEF - Thom Sinclair, of CGAP, funded by the MasterCard Foundation and housed at the World Bank - Tony Pryor, Senior Advisor, USAID/PPL Listen as we discuss promising practices in the areas of collaborating, learning and adapting.
In this episode of our series on financial technology, we sat down with Kate Lauer, a senior policy advisor at CGAP. Kate is an expert in microfinance, financial inclusion and global financial regulation. She is currently researching the impact of regulatory sandboxes on fintech and financial inclusion. Some of the key takeaways from our conversation with Kate include: Regulatory sandboxes are a two-way street, allowing fintech companies to learn about regulation, but also allowing regulators to learn about fintech. Creating a level platform for fintech companies to compete, while also mitigating risks, is one of the primary challenges facing regulators. There are very large differences in the structure of Asian regulatory sandboxes. Asia faces an immense financial inclusion problem, but some of the most interesting financial inclusion efforts are taking place in the region. Bringing people into the formal financial system touches upon complicated issues of taxation and privacy. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco or of the Federal Reserve System.
In this episode Gerhard Coetzee is making a real difference in the world of financial inclusion. As Lead Financial Sector Specialist at CGAP, he leads the technical areas of customer and provider solutions that include customer centric business models, digital finance and smallholder families. Simon Taylor caught up with him to find out about the challenges he faces and why customer-centric design and partnerships are so central to his approach. “If you do not understand the customer, the poor person in their life, the challenges they have, the pain points they face, then it will be very difficult to provide a service that they will use.” “I believe strongly in living your life in such a way that when you leave something, it is better than the way you found it.” Enjoying FinTech Insider? Tell a friend about us and please leave us a review on iTunes. The post Ep241 – Gerhard Coetzee, Lead Financial Sector Specialist at CGAP appeared first on 11:FS.
In this episode Gerhard Coetzee is making a real difference in the world of financial inclusion. As Lead Financial Sector Specialist at CGAP, he leads the technical areas of customer and provider solutions that include customer centric business models, digital finance and smallholder families. Simon Taylor caught up with him to find out about the challenges he faces and why customer-centric design and partnerships are so central to his approach. “If you do not understand the customer, the poor person in their life, the challenges they have, the pain points they face, then it will be very difficult to provide a service that they will use.” “I believe strongly in living your life in such a way that when you leave something, it is better than the way you found it.” Enjoying FinTech Insider? Tell a friend about us and please leave us a review on iTunes. The post Ep241 – Gerhard Coetzee, Lead Financial Sector Specialist at CGAP appeared first on 11:FS.
In this episode FinTech isn’t disrupting the financial industry in Africa – it’s building it across the continent. And because it’s being building without much legacy, by default it’s digital as a platform. In this episode of FinTech Insider Insights, we’ll shine a light on some great FinTech stories coming out of Africa, including approaches and ideas that incumbent institutions will find incredibly useful. Our guests Gerhard Coetzee, Lead Financial Sector Specialist at CGAP Lesley-Ann Vaughan, M-PESA Co-Creator Ron Webb, Director of Financial Services at Safaricom Brett Loubser, CEO at WeChat Africa “I’m extremely excited by how we’re going to see an increasing daily relevance of payments in people’s lives,” Ron says. “P2P transactions have been hugely important, and have been the bedrock of what M-PESA became. But you only send money P2P to your relatives, or people that you’re supporting, on a periodic basis. But you do merchant payments every single day – and many of them – and the increasing use of e-value in those day-to-day payments will increase daily relevance and create even more opportunity.” 11:FS blog posts mentioned in this podcast Banking APIs Aren’t about Tech or Banking 11 Banks and FinTechs Doing APIs Better Than You Did you learn something from this podcast? If so, please share the knowledge and tell a friend about FinTech Insider and leave us a review on iTunes. Thank you! The post Ep222 – FinTech Out of Africa appeared first on 11:FS.
In this episode of Prime Time, Sanjay Swamy talks to Ignacio Mas, executive director and co-founder at the Digital Frontiers Institute, a new organization that is developing a professional development network and training course around digital money and payments. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Fletcher School's Council on Emerging Market Enterprises at Tufts University. In this podcast, Ignacio speaks exclusively to Sanjay about his journey in the global community for mobile money and his views about India. Formerly a Senior Advisor in the Financial Services for the Poor program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ignacio led research, policy and financial infrastructure work. Ignacio also has been a Senior Adviser in the Technology Program at CGAP (a resource center for micro-finance housed at the World Bank), VP of Marketing and Account Management at interTouch (an NTT-DoCoMo Group Company that manages broadband solutions for the hospitality industry), Director of Global Business Strategy at Vodafone Group, and Senior Manager responsible for telecoms investments in Europe at Intel Capital (Intel Corp’s venture capital arm). Ignacio has been a Visiting Professor of International Business at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago. He holds undergraduate degrees in mathematics and economics from MIT and a PhD in economics from Harvard University.
You don’t have to be in development or aid to know that mobile has been disruption banking for a while. But those of us in the sector are acutely aware of how mobile banking has literally changed the lives of millions of people by providing financial access to even the most remote areas, and the results have been, generally speaking, fantastic. As just one example, we know that people who have access to mobile banking are more resilient to shocks and emergencies, a potential game changer in many parts of the world. While its well established, the use of mobile in the banking world is far from complete. In fact, its still just beginning. Where it is going next is the primary focus of Xavier Faz, my guest for the 128th Terms of Reference Podcast. Xavier is the Lead of the Digital Financial Frontiers Initiative for CGAP, which is housed at the World Bank, where they look to leverage innovations around mobile phones and mobile payments that allow new services to be delivered.
Tonia Wellons has successfully straddled international development and locally oriented community-based development with full intention, skillfully borrowing lessons from one and applying them to the other. With 18 years of development experience, spanning senior leadership roles at the World Bank Group -- to social entrepreneur for a community-based social fund that she founded -- Tonia is skilled in leading global development alliances, managing multi-donor operations, and engaging local communities. Tonia currently serves as Associate Director, Office of Strategic Partnerships for the Peace Corps and is responsible for leading the agency’s partnerships with government, the private sector, international NGO’s, and the broader volunteer-sending community. The OSP team is tasked with facilitating strategic opportunities that advance Peace Corps’ mission and the role of volunteerism as a tool for development. Tonia served as Fund Manager for CGAP, a multi-donor initiative focused on financial access and inclusion, housed at the World Bank Group. She spent a significant part of her career working on USAID-funded capacity development initiatives during the immediate post-apartheid era in South Africa. Her work in South Africa with local government associations and City Managers (in the US and South Africa) successfully led to a pipeline of local talent for municipal leadership during this new democracy’s most significant transition period. While living in South Africa, Tonia was able to leverage that experience to establish ‘south-south’ partnerships with municipal government entities and partners in neighboring Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Swaziland.
Richard Rosenberg, consultant to CGAP, talks about the value proposition of microfinance and how this relates to the price for financial services. Richard has been with CGAP since its founding in 1995. He has written or contributed to numerous CGAP publications. His current areas of focus include interest rate issues, over-indebtedness, and regulation of microfinance. He is a core faculty member of the Microfinance Training Program at The Boulder Institute.
Richard Rosenberg, consultant to CGAP, talks about the value proposition of microfinance and how this relates to the price for financial services.Richard has been with CGAP since its founding in 1995. He has written or contributed to numerous CGAP publications. His current areas of focus include interest rate issues, over-indebtedness, and regulation of microfinance. He is a core faculty member of the Microfinance Training Program at The Boulder Institute. MicroSave and the Financial Access Initiative invite you to join the authors of Portfolios of the Poor for a two-day virtual conference. This event will be moderated by co-authors Daryl Collins, Jonathan Morduch, Stuart Rutherford and Orlanda Ruthven, and MicroSave’s Graham Wright. Dates: June 8-9, 2010 For more information and free registration, please visit www.MicroSave.org
Richard Rosenberg, consultant to CGAP, highlights the biggest findings of “Portfolios of the Poor”. Richard has been with CGAP since its founding in 1995. He has written or contributed to numerous CGAP publications. His current areas of focus include interest rate issues, over-indebtedness, and regulation of microfinance. He is a core faculty member of the Microfinance Training Program at The Boulder Institute. MicroSave and the Financial Access Initiative invite you to join the authors of Portfolios of the Poor for a two-day virtual conference. This event will be moderated by co-authors Daryl Collins, Jonathan Morduch, Stuart Rutherford and Orlanda Ruthven, and MicroSave’s Graham Wright. Dates: June 8-9, 2010 For more information and free registration, please visit www.MicroSave.org
Richard Rosenberg, consultant to CGAP, discusses how the Compartamos IPO affected investors and competitors, and whether the experience was a singular event or is likely to be repeated.
Richard Rosenberg, consultant to CGAP, speaks about the spectacular success and controversy around the IPO of Compartamos, one of the leading MFIs in Latin America.
Richard Rosenberg, consultant to CGAP, speaks about the spectacular success and controversy around the IPO of Compartamos, one of the leading MFIs in Latin America.
Richard Rosenberg, consultant to CGAP, speaks about the spectacular success and controversy around the IPO of Compartamos, one of the leading MFIs in Latin America.
Michael Tarazi, Senior Policy Specialist, CGAP speaks about successful branchless banking projects, the major obstacles for branchless banking, the role of regulators in rolling out branchless banking solutions, and the CGAP contribution in the area of branchless banking.MFP is grateful to the Boulder Institute of Microfinance and the International Training Center of the ILO, (Turin, Italy) for providing logistical support and the location for this interview.
Interview with Elizabeth Littlefield, CEO, CGAP on financial crisis impact om MFIs and their clients.
Elizabeth Littlefield, CGAP, Director of the World Bank and the Chief Executive Officer of CGAP – Financial Crisis and the Microfinance Industry.
Interview with Nick Hughes, Head of International Mobile Payment Solutions, Vodafone Group on mobile payment service M-PESA in Kenya. Photos courtesy of CGAP.
Interview with Kate McKee, Senior Advisor, CGAP
Interview with Kate McKee, Senior Advisor, CGAP
Interview with Kate McKee, Senior Advisor, CGAP
Interview with Kate McKee, Senior Advisor, CGAP. Responsible Finance - Why It Is Timely Now.
The Origins of the Campaign for Client Protection with Elisabeth Rhyne and Kate McKee Elisabeth Rhyne of the Center for Financial Inclusion and Kate McKee of CGAP talk about the origins of the Campaign for Client Protection, its relevance at this time, and their next steps.
Interview with Ignacio Mas, Senior Advisor, CGAP. Photos courtesy of CGAP.
Interview with Ignacio Mas, Senior Advisor, CGAP. Photos courtesy of CGAP.
Interview with Ignacio Mas, Senior Advisor, CGAP. Photos courtesy of CGAP.
Interview with Ignacio Mas, Senior Advisor, CGAP. Photos courtesy of CGAP.
Gautam Ivatury, Microfinance Specialist, Manager - Technology Programme, CGAP, talks about the importance and implementation of Management Information System in MFI. CGAP is housed at the World Bank, but operates as an independent entity. It has its own governance structure, designed with an agile board that includes microfinance practitioners and leaders from outside the funder community while preserving member representation.
Syed Hashemi, a senior microfinance specialist of CGAP, introduces anew pathway for the poor rest to graduate out of poverty: linking two aspects of development, safty nets and the world of microfinance.
Syed Hashemi, a senior microfinance specialist of CGAP, introduces anew pathway for the poor rest to graduate out of poverty: linking two aspects of development, safty nets and the world of microfinance.
BRAC. A senior microfinance specialist of CGAP, Syed Hashemi is introducing a big microfinance program in Bangladesh, namely BRAC. BRAC is an amazing example of how one combines microfinance with other development efforts. Syed Hashemi looks both at similarities and differences between Grameen Bank and BRAC multi-sector approach.
Grameen Bank. In this episode a senior microfinance specialist of CGAP, Syed Hashemi is sharing his thoughts on why microfinance is such a great success in Bangladesh, and the role that Grameen Bank played in establishing microfinance as an industry.