Digital tokens could transform the economies of the Middle East and North Africa
March 24th, 2021 – The Covid-19 pandemic has been a disruptor like no other and its economic and social consequences are expected to outlast the health emergency. As reported by the IMF, the Middle East and North Africa GDP contracted by 3.1% in 202...
ASEAN enterprises face hurdles in digital transformation
April 1th, 2021 – Enterprises across Southeast Asia are prioritising growth and customer experiences to ready themselves for the post-pandemic world even as they continue to struggle with talent issues, cloud adoption and gaining insights from data....
IFC steps up African investments
March 15th, 2021 – The International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, has made investments in a range of organisations across Africa, aiming to stimulate progress in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) and start-up se...
Small-business finance platform enters market
March 12th, 2021 – A new finance platform that allows small businesses to access equity, grants and loans has launched in Australia. Swoop Finance Pty Ltd (Swoop), which first launched in the UK and Ireland in 2018, has formally opened its first int...
Nearly 60% of SMEs in Latin America led by women
March 8th, 2021 – About 59.3% of SMEs, or small and medium enterprises, in Latin America are managed by women, showed a recent study as the world marks International Women’s Day. Citing the study of Alegra.com, an accounting solutions company ...
Women and sustainable finance: fuel for the engine of COVID recovery
– COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on women-focused small and medium-sized enterprises (WSMEs). – The Asia-Pacific region alone has over 50 million WSMEs, mostly in the micro, small and medium range that provide employment to over 10...
Unified communications tech now a must-have for SMEs
February 11th, 2021 – Embracing unified communications technology was always a business imperative for organizations, as inevitable digital transformation initiatives meant that virtual collaboration tools were more in the spotlight over the past co...
Almost half of Asia Pacific prefers digital payments
February 11th, 2021 – From the light tap of a contactless card to the convenience of online payments, the switch to cash-free consumerism has surged over the last decade. Currently, the Asia Pacific, which holds an online population of 1.8 billion, ...
Circular economy: New coalition launched for Latin America and the Caribbean
February 9th, 2021 – A new coalition to support Latin America and the Caribbean in the transition towards a circular economy as part of the COVID-19 recovery has been launched. The Regional Coalition on Circular Economy will support access to financ...
Investment for women-led businesses is missing ingredient African entrepreneurship
February 19th, 2021 – Women make up 58% of African’s self-employed population, yet there are still significant imbalances between opportunities to scale, access to funding and training between men and women-led businesses on the continent. There i...
