Microfinance, Innovations, Sustainable Development - Technology

Lemon Way to launch European payment service

Gerard — Sun, 06 May 2012 15:44:00 GMT

Now everyone, most especially private individuals without access to banking services, can open an account and have a simple and safe method of payment…

Lemon Way solutions already enable millions of users to do their shopping (food, taxis etc) and transfer money to their friends and families…

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

O2 mobile wallet app launches text message payments

Gerard — Sat, 05 May 2012 15:19:04 GMT

Mobile network O2 has launched a smartphone app that allows users to transfer up to £500 via text message.

It also allows customers to "digitise" their debit and credit cards to speed up purchases from online stores.

The firm also intends to allow users of phones with near-field communication (NFC) chips to make contactless payments in high street shops.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Mobile Payment Solution is offered through cloud-based gateway

Gerard — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:10:22 GMT

At Mobile World Congress 2012, Amdocs, a leading provider of customer experience systems, today announced the launch of Amdocs Mobile Payments. The new solution is a cloud-based gateway, enabling mobile operators to quickly, securely and cost-effectively scale their mobile payments business for both prepaid and postpaid customers to open new revenue streams. Mobile payments that are charged via the carrier offer consumers the convenience of charging purchases directly to their mobile phone bill, prepaid balance or mobile wallet.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Wind turbine offers hope to African communities

Gerard — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:57:23 GMT

Wind turbines could also provide drinking water in humid climates following a breakthrough by a French engineering firm.

Eole Water modified your typical electricity-generating turbines to allow them to distill drinking water out of the air in a bid to help developing countries solve their water needs.

A prototype in Abu Dhabi already creates 62 litres of water an hour, and Eole hopes to sell turbines generating a thousand litres a day later this year.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Scientists Say Africa Sits on Huge Reservoir of Water

Gerard — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:48:09 GMT

Scientists say a new study shows that Africa sits on a vast reservoir of groundwater that could provide a reliable source of water for drinking and agriculture.

Scientists say an estimated 300 million people in Africa do not have access to safe drinking water and with climate change making rainfall less predictable, their plight is even more precarious.

So research into a vast reservoir of groundwater beneath the continent is meaningful.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Is mobile banking worth chasing?

Gerard — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:34:42 GMT

That’s a key question facing bankers these days, given the cost of establishing a mobile offering and the accelerated pace at which the mobile landscape is evolving.

The short answer is “yes”—if you go about it right.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Rwanda: Rwf400 Million Fund to Boost Innovation

Gerard — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 21:26:40 GMT

Government has set aside a basket fund of about Rwf400 million to cater for scientific innovations, especially in the areas of Information Communication Technology (ICT), Agriculture and Manufacturing. The fund, known as Rwanda Innovation Endowment Fund (RIEF), was initiated by the Ministry of Education in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) sub regional office under the One UN Rwanda. It will support projects that promote innovations in science, technology and research which could transform the social and economic development of the country.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

The myth of the overnight success

Gerard — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:57:53 GMT

We often celebrate companies and individuals once they've achieved undeniable success, but shun their disruptive thinking before reaching such a pinnacle. Before Oprah was Oprah, before Jobs was Jobs, they were labeled as misguided dreamers rather than future captains of industry. You tend to hear about startups when they are successful but not when they are struggling. This creates a systematically distorted perception that companies succeed overnight. Almost always, when you learn the backstory, you find that behind every “overnight success” is a story of entrepreneurs toiling away for years, with very few people except themselves and perhaps a few friends, users, and investors supporting them.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

World Bicycle Relief Reaches Milestone Of 100,000 Bicycles Distributed

Gerard — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:41:32 GMT

World Bicycle Relief, a not for profit organization created by bike industry leader SRAM Corporation to aid victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami in Sri Lanka recently distributed its 100,000th bicycle to people living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Will Mobile Phones Make Western Union Obsolete?

Gerard — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:27:26 GMT

Western Union's (WU) business model remains sound.
With market fears on this issue driving a low valuation on the stock, investors have a good opportunity to invest in a fundamentally attractive business.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

New generation of social entrepreneurs put skills to transforming Asia

Gerard — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:28:23 GMT

Social enterpreneurship grows in area where neither innovation nor social and environmental problems are in short supply

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Green Microfinance Encourages Sustainable Economic Development

Gerard — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:38:26 GMT

The conventional path to economic development is through the use of fossil fuels and the associated negative environmental impact. One alternative to encourage actual sustainable development is green microfinance, using small loans for environmentally beneficial or neutral business enterprises. Unlike traditional micro loans, conditions or incentives placed are placed on the loan condition to encourage the sustainable use of resources.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Canada: Engineering students encouraged to think globally

Gerard — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:15:25 GMT

Some 15,400 kilometers away from Vancouver, B.C., farmers in the southern African nation of Zambia have seen their crop yields improve thanks in part to a small group of Canadian engineers. Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/Engineering+students+encouraged+think+globally/6232493/story.html#ixzz1oSpxEsW4

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Rural Women Banking By Mobile Phone

Gerard — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:31:19 GMT

Collecting the monthly subscriptions for her co-operative has always been a headache for Thelma Nare, 41. This is because Nare lives in Tshitshi, Plumtree in rural Zimbabwe, about 60 kilometres away from the humdrum of the nearest town centre where banks are located.

"We meet after a long time as here in the rural areas our homesteads can be very far from each other. So members of our club do not meet or contribute regularly," Nare said.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

7 Strategies for Mobile Banking

Gerard — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:24:31 GMT

Is mobile banking worth chasing?
That’s a key question facing bankers these days, given the cost of establishing a mobile offering and the accelerated pace at which the mobile landscape is evolving.
The short answer is “yes”—if you go about it right.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

A Small Innovation Leads to the Next Big Thing

Gerard — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:07:17 GMT

Meet ChotuKool. A refrigerator with no compressor, it is tiny, weighing in at less than 18 pounds. It can run on a 12-volt battery and can be yours for about $75. Most importantly, you can get it in some of the most hard-to-reach rural areas of India. “Chotu” means “the small one” in colloquial Hindi. It may well be the Next Big Small Thing.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Opinions: How can higher education institutions become more sustainable

Gerard — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:10:39 GMT

From changes to the curriculum to getting Transitional University status or by making the financial case for energy savings, we share the best bits from some experts' sustainability live chat

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Bangladesh : Mobile banking takes shape

Gerard — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:06:12 GMT

Mobile phone use in Bangladesh is not a luxury now. Almost half of the country's 160 million population uses mobile phones, but very few have bank accounts. There were lot of talks in the past few years on how the big population could be brought under the banking services via their mobile handsets. The GSM Association (GSMA) predicts that by 2012, nearly 300 million of the previously "unbanked" will be using some form of mobile banking.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

SHE: Scharpf's simple way to empower women

Gerard — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 19:16:17 GMT

While interning in Africa in 2005, Elizabeth Scharpf was appalled to find that women were missing work and school because they couldn’t afford pads to wear during their periods. “I felt like it was an obstacle for women and girls — to their freedom” and one that shouldn’t exist, she said.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Bangladesh : Mobile banking takes shape

Gerard — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:07:50 GMT

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Britain must think bigger

Gerard — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:11:10 GMT

Investment in innovation is needed to secure the UK's future, which is why we are launching the Big Innovation Centre

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

A “theory of evolution” for technology

Gerard — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 19:03:34 GMT

It is time for the academic community to come to the aid of an old and ailing friend — the “science” of technological knowledge. In other words, rather than relying on individual fields of study to come up with new bits of “technology”), we must study technological advancement as a process itself, across disciplines. The time is right; recent advances in the management of technology have laid the necessary groundwork to do so.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

China: Tianjin puts priority on innovation

Gerard — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:53:56 GMT

The coastal city of Tianjin, with its hundred-year history of industrial development, is now looking to transform its development structure - from energy- and resource-intensive to sustainable, high-tech and innovative.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Interview: Lynne Maher, the director of innovation and design at the NHS National Innovation Centre

Gerard — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:41:51 GMT

Lynne Maher can see the NHS entering a new phase in its development of IT. National programmes are becoming less of an issue, and there will be a stronger emphasis on new ideas coming from the ground up.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Microfinance: What role in Africa's development?

Gerard — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:43:30 GMT

The honeymoon with microfinance is over. Since the idea of lending or giving very small sums of money to poor people was introduced to the world by the pioneering Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, the approach has been taken up by many non-governmental organizations, donor agencies and the United Nations as an essential part of their poverty-reduction efforts. Microfinance has provided countless people with access to financial services.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Kredits Introduces Microfinance Industry’s First Regulatory Compliance Software Solution

Gerard — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 02:06:18 GMT

Kredits, a leading provider of software and technology solutions for microfinance institutions (“MFIs”), announced it has entered into bilateral agreements with MFI clients and regulators across multiple regions in order to provide the microfinance industry’s first multi-jurisdictional regulatory compliance software solution. In response to a rapidly evolving regulatory climate, Kredits is proactively meeting the challenge by providing its worldwide base of MFI clients with the advanced reporting and credit bureau support required to cost-effectively maintain regulatory compliance.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Temenos T24 Launches Cloud Strategy for the Global Microfinance Community With Windows Azure

Gerard — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 02:00:12 GMT

Today at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Los Angeles, Temenos, the global provider of banking software, launched a complementary go-to-market model using Microsoft technologies to address affordable access to finance in emerging markets. Temenos was also today selected the Microsoft Financial Services Partner of the Year at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Can software giant SAP survive the IT revolution?

Gerard — Sun, 01 May 2011 21:06:28 GMT

SAP is one of the world's most important but least known software companies - so can it adapt to the IT revolution at the start of the 21st century?

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Visa Europe Releases Mobile Acceptance Security Best Practices

Gerard — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 20:53:41 GMT

Visa Europe in cooperation with Visa Inc. today issued a set of mobile acceptance security best practices for software and hardware providers, retailers and their acquirers. These best practices form part of Visa Europe’s ongoing strategy to advance security measures to help protect cardholder and account data when using consumer mobile devices such as smart phones to facilitate the acceptance of card payments.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Sprint Plans Tap-And-Go Payments in 2011, Ahead of Rivals

Gerard — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 20:10:30 GMT

Sprint Nextel Corp. plans to start a service this year that will allow customers to make purchases with their mobile phones, ahead of a similar initiative from rivals Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile USA.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Color Looks To Reinvent Social Interaction

Gerard — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 07:12:26 GMT

A revolutionary new communication app has been launched for the iPhone and Android platforms, which automatically shares photos, videos and text with anyone in the vicinity who also has the application. The app, called Color, has been created by Bill Nguyen, who sold his cloud based music locker Lala.com to Apple for $80 million. The app works by using a mix of GPS location data and ambient sensors to assess proximity of other users, who will be able to see any text, videos or photos taken via Color. The application comes with absolutely no privacy settings, so all the photos shared are publicly available to every member within the range. There is also no need to 'friend' anyone, though a blocking option is available.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

The Sun: Gorillas get iPads

Gerard — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 05:54:00 GMT

The Sun is reporting that animal behavior experts have kindly handed out iPads to Gorillas. Amazingly not a SINGLE one of the five tablets which download apps has been broken since being given out at Port Lympne wild animal park three weeks ago.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

How Groupon Uses the Cloud to Scale Its Business

Gerard — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 06:41:27 GMT

Since launching in late 2008, deal-of-the-day website Groupon has emerged as one of the hottest web startups on the planet. Serving more than 250 markets worldwide and boasting more than 35 million users, Groupon is the poster child for a rapidly growing company. One of the reasons Groupon has continued to succeed and expand over the past two and a half years is because the company has managed to keep the pace with its business. Tracking deal performance across locations and business types is an important part of Groupon’s business. Groupon uses a number of different tracking solutions so that it can generate internal reports, as well as offer reports to business owners.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

VeriFone On Apple, Google And PayPal’s NFC Competitiveness

Gerard — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 20:20:44 GMT

Electronic payment provider VeriFone has a front seat for what it calls the “gold rush for NFC” – the race to deliver products and services related to Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Why Women Rule The Internet

Gerard — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 06:18:24 GMT

Do you have women in key positions? If you’re planning on targeting female customers, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to have great women on your team. Women are the routers and amplifiers of the social web. And they are the rocket fuel of ecommerce. The ongoing debate about women in tech has been missing a key insight. If you figure out how to harness the power of female customers, you can rock the world.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Ageing populations will drive domestic robot innovation

Gerard — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:13:26 GMT

The ageing global population will be what will drive market for sophisticated domestic robots, which have hitherto been lacking, according to the founder of Microsoft's robotics division. Tandy Trower has a vision to design a socially assistive robot to help the elderly or infirm.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Uganda: Bicycles at the Heart of Empowerment Scheme for Rural Women

Gerard — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:31:09 GMT

The bicycle has become a symbol of hope for hundreds of women in Uganda who have been trained in repairing one of life’s favorite transport modes. More than two hundred women from around the Bwindi National Park, in the country's southwest, have been taking part in a two-week course on bicycle repair, organised by the group Ride 4 a Woman.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

The ancestor of modern programming languages: ALGOL

Gerard — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 21:46:39 GMT

Understanding modern programming languages is much easier when you know about the languages that influenced their design. David Chisnall looks at some languages that have shaped the modern computing landscape. The series begins by examining ALGOL, the language that launched the structured programming revolution.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

How to Open a New Online Bank Account

Gerard — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 21:52:25 GMT

Diversifying your bank accounts can allow you to keep funds for one investment or project in one account, while keeping another for bills and entertainment expenses. An online bank account allows you to transfer funds without having to enter a bank and often can give you competitive interest rates. These accounts also allow you to view and manage you accounts online. Opening an online bank account is a simple procedure.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Web creator to help protect ‘open internet’

Gerard — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 22:28:02 GMT

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the world wide web, has been asked by ministers to work with broadband companies on guidelines to protect the “open internet”.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

The history of the electric vehicle: a long development process

Gerard — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:09:05 GMT

The history of the electric car over the past century or more is like a succession of missed opportunities and aborted attempts.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

What’s a Post-PC device?

Gerard — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:55:18 GMT

Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer argues that the tablet computers (aka slates, media tablets or iPads) are PCs. Steve Jobs argues that they are post-PC devices. There are analogies to trucks, cars and various metaphors for what these new devices symbolize. Some argue that because the iPad needs a PC, it’s not a post-PC device.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

The future of banking? The credit card that will spell out your balance

Gerard — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 20:16:48 GMT

Breakthrough: Mastercard has created a card that can display your balance and even talk to you, while also doubling as a reward card.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Mobile Banking: 5 ways to protect your smart phone

Gerard — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 19:44:58 GMT

Smart phones are vulnerable to the same virus, spyware, and phishing threats as your home PC, as well as some risks unique to phones. Here's how to protect yourself.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Pakistan: Development of microfinance banks, SMEs can boost economy

Gerard — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:17:31 GMT

Pakistan can boost its economic growth by encouraging development of microfinance banks, small farmers and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), according to State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) former governor Dr Ishrat Husain.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

UK: Turning back the clock to ‘Hovis banking’

Gerard — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 20:00:31 GMT

The suggestion that we might partially turn back the clock has been described as a call for “Hovis banking”, referring to an advertisement that plays on nostalgia. The commercial succeeds because we believe the bread our grandparents ate, before innovations in technology and marketing, was nicer and more wholesome. Perhaps that is true in banking as in baking.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Forecast: Global Mobile Transaction Value Will Near $1 Trillion by 2014

Gerard — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 22:28:53 GMT

Yankee Group research shows that while mobile transaction usage is growing, consumers show little willingness to pay for these services. The company's forecasts predict unprecedented growth in mobile transactions worldwide, with the total value of global mobile transactions increasing from $162 billion in 2010 to $984 billion in 2014. However, Yankee Group's consumer survey results show that less than 10 percent of respondents would be willing to pay extra for mobile transaction services such as mobile banking, mobile coupons and mobile payments.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

India: Inclusion rides on M-Banking

Gerard — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 08:28:33 GMT

Financial inclusion is a generic problem that affects most developing countries, where the proportion of unbanked is very high. It is, therefore, unsurprising that inclusion models have been deployed in various forms in many countries. Some, of course, have done better than others and we shall also subsequently explore a few models abroad to learn from what they have done right. India has had a fair number of initiatives in the Financial Inclusion space, and we cover a select few of them that are involved in m-banking and cards-issuance.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Davos: Warning of ‘global suicide,’ Ban Ki-Moon calls for Revolution to Ensure Sustainable Development

Gerard — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 22:37:54 GMT

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for “revolutionary action” to achieve sustainable development, warning that the past century’s heedless consumption of resources is “a global suicide pact” with time running out to ensure an economic model for survival.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

World Future Energy Summit Kicks Off in Abu Dhabi

Gerard — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 20:54:14 GMT

Abu Dhabi, UAE, may be overflowing with oil, but the Emirate is also brimming with ideas and commitments to a green energy future. Such was the key take-a-way at the star-studded opening session of the World Future Energy Summit 2011 this morning. The summit is taking place not far from the emerging city of Masdar – designed to be a showpiece of cleantech innovation and green urban planning.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.