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The top external barriers to scale for mobile tech start-ups in LMICs 

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Start-ups and SMEs in low- and middle-income countries have the potential to reduce inequalities by scaling innovative digital solutions but often lack the capital to do so, as they can be considered too risky for commercial investors. To bridge this gap in funding, the GSMA ...

Smartphone device financing: A catalyst for mobile money growth in an era of fintech apps

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Discover how smartphone financing is driving mobile money growth, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Explore initiatives bridging the gap in smartphone access, empowering individuals regardless of economic status. From BNPL to PAYGO models, explore strategies ...

AI for Impact and Climate Action: Highlights from MWC Barcelona 2024 

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At MWC 2024, the Central Insights Unit convened a group of tech-for-good innovators, funders and ecosystem builders with the objective of sharing learnings and experiences on building AI solutions and on shifting to AI-centric business models. Read about the discussions ...

Deforestation regulations: A boon for agritech innovation, but will it leave smallholders behind?

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The fight against deforestation is intensifying. The new European Union’s Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) compels companies placing products on the EU market to prove the provenance and journey of their commodities to prevent imports from recently deforested land ...

Unveiling the GSMA Mobile Money API SDK Adoption Guide: A Catalyst for Fintech Evolution

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Open APIs are revolutionizing Africa’s payments landscape. From banks and financial institutions to start-ups and fintech firms, a diverse array of players are leveraging Open APIs to experiment and launch ground-breaking payment solutions. In this dynamic ecosystem, ...

World Water Day: Water for Peace

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Recognising the dynamic yet complex relationship between water and peace, and how digital solutions can play a role in bringing prosperity through effective water management on World Water Day 2024.

The top internal barriers to scale for mobile tech start-ups in LMICs

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In part two of our three-part blog series, we’re reviewing the biggest internal barriers to scale faced by the alumni in our cohort.

What is scale and how can start-ups achieve it?

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The GSMA Innovation Fund positions start-ups and SMEs in low- and middle-income countries to scale operations and amplify their social and environmental impact. But what is scale? Through a series of interviews conducted with our alumni, we collected in-depth insights ...

Expanding beyond borders: Greenovator’s journey of regional expansion

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Introduction Greenovator, a member of the GSMA AgriTech Accelerator cohort, is a digital agriculture service provider that aims to empower farming communities to improve their livelihoods. Their services are centred on leveraging mobile to deliver agricultural advisory, ...

Our new data shows the mobile internet gender gap has narrowed, but there is still much work to be done

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#InspireInclusion: Latest data and commitments The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “Inspire Inclusion”, and we are sharing a preview of some of our updated figures on the mobile internet gender gap in advance of publishing our Mobile Gender Gap Report 2024 ...

Sustainable Waste Management: Highlights on digitalisation and partnerships from Freetown, Sierra Leone

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This blog presents highlights from a discussion hosted by the GSMA Digital Utilities programme together with Freetown Waste Transformers on the challenges of waste management in the city of Sierra Leone, including opportunities for digital solutions and innovative ...

Announcing The GSMA Innovation Fund for Climate Resilience and Adaptation Cohort 2.0

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Announcing the `11 start-up organisations selected under the GSMA Innovation Fund for Climate Resilience and Adaptation 2.0

To deliver on its promises, digital financial services must hear the voice of consumers

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Amidst the global surge in digital financial services adoption, a collaborative effort between GSMA and Consumers International highlights both progress and challenges in ensuring these innovations deliver on their promises, particularly for vulnerable consumers. Drawing ...

Trends in Innovation Pitches: Opportunities for Climate Tech Investment

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This blog presents an analysis of key trends from the applications for the GSMA Innovation Fund for Climate Resilience and Adaptation 2.0, and expands on analysis of emerging trends within climate tech innovation from the first round of this Fund.

Understanding AI for sustainable development in Africa  

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AI innovations have the potential to contribute to economic growth in Africa, and are playing an increasingly important role in the region's sustainable development. Read the blog to discover more about these possibilities, alongside the challenges to fostering AI-enabled ...

How user-centred design can improve agri e-commerce interfaces that cater to the needs and literacy levels of smallholder farmers  

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Agri e-commerce has become a viable alternative to traditional unstructured markets. E-commerce platforms have enormous potential to transform agricultural trading. They enable the selling and buying of agricultural produce online. Doing so allows farmers to sell directly to ...

Combler le fossé hommes-femmes en matière de technologie mobile en Afrique subsaharienne : Une opportunité sociale et commerciale 

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En Afrique subsaharienne, les téléphones portables transforment la région de manière sans précédent. Ils ont évolué au-delà de leur fonction première de communication pour devenir des moteurs de progrès dans de nombreux domaines tels que la santé, l'éducation, la finance et ...

Closing the mobile gender gap in Sub-Saharan Africa: A social and commercial opportunity  

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In Sub-Saharan Africa, mobile phones are reshaping the region in unprecedented ways. They have transcended their initial purpose of communication to become catalysts for progress in various areas, including healthcare, education, finance and agriculture, offering innovative ...

Mobile-enabled early warning in Cambodia: Field visit with GSMA Innovation Fund grantees 

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In January 2024, we visited Cambodia where we were hosted by two organisations from the GSMA Innovation Fund for Anticipatory Humanitarian Action, People in Need and ActionAid. Both organisations have been instrumental in developing the EWS 1294 system for Cambodia, launched ...

Accelerating Impact through Innovation

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The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) funding gap challenge Social impact ventures face a range of diverse and complex challenges to scale their impact in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including limited market access, a lack of infrastructure, regulatory ...