Digital platforms are creating new possibilities for building inclusive economies with opportunities to make a living through gig work, expand small business reach through e-commerce and improve access to responsible credit. However, many independent workers and entrepreneurs struggle with financial precarity. To address this challenge, the Center is bringing together research and programmatic partners with Mastercard digital partners to test, iterate and scale approaches that embed behavioral design into digital platforms with the goal of helping independent workers and entrepreneurs increase their earnings and save for unforeseen circumstances. New insights from these efforts by Luz Gomez, Carlos Alberto Rubio Pimienta and Avni Patel, point to a future where digital platforms not only thrive in their business endeavors but also empower people to progress on the journey to financial health. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gHPTegrR Featured partners: Common Cents Lab | Flourish Fi | Accion | Mastercard Strive #digitaleconomy #inclusivegrowth #gigwork #fintech #ecommerce
Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
Financial Services
Purchase, New York 52,321 followers
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About us
The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth invests in research & programs that advance equitable economic growth and connects academics, practitioners, governments and businesses to catalyze change.
- Website
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https://mastercardcenter.org/
External link for Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
- Industry
- Financial Services
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- Purchase, New York
- Founded
- 2014
- Specialties
- Financial Inclusion, Inclusive Growth, Small Business, Impact data science, Social Impact, Financial security, and Financial resilience
Updates
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📣 Deadline Extended: Apply by July 25, 2024, for the Artificial Intelligence to Accelerate Inclusion (#AI2AI) Challenge! Are you ready to scale your #AI solution for inclusion and economic empowerment? Don't miss this opportunity! Awardees will receive a $200K grant and technical assistance. Apply now! 🚀 https://lnkd.in/gvy4wNSv DataDotOrg Dasra
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Deadline extended to July 25th: There is only 1️⃣ week left to apply for DataDotOrg and the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth’s #AI2AI Challenge! Organizations using #AI to improve financial security and offer support for social entrepreneurs and small businesses are encouraged to apply. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gvy4wNSv #AIDrivesImpact #InclusiveGrowth
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Wage digitalization, when combined with gender-responsive training, can help put millions of garment workers on the pathway to #FinancialHealth. Results from our partnership with RISE Financial Health demonstrate how this approach has enabled garment workers in Cambodia, Egypt and Bangladesh to save for the future, handle emergencies and have more agency over household financial decisions. Our new paper offers concrete ways for financial health practitioners, the garment industry, financial service providers and policymakers to build on these learnings and work together to create impact at scale. Delve into the insights in this piece from the Center’s Payal Dalal and RISE's Christine Svarer here: https://lnkd.in/egvV_y_a #FinancialInclusion #WageDigitization #EconomicEmpowerment #GarmentWorkers
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From diversifying tech talent and data sources to centering product design around inclusion, the Center is working with diverse organizations to foster inclusive innovation. In a recent interview on the Humanitarian AI Today podcast, Payal Dalal, EVP for global programs explores our commitment to advancing inclusive economies through #AI. She also highlights the #AI2AI Challenge—a global initiative inviting innovators to scale AI solutions for economic empowerment. Take a listen here: https://lnkd.in/ewnf8VNA 👉 One week left to apply to the #AI2AI challenge: https://lnkd.in/eDXngbgC #AIDrivesImpact #InclusiveGrowth DataDotOrg Howard University
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Small businesses are critical drivers of inclusive economies. However, they face a universal challenge in accessing financial services that can power their resilience and growth. In this BBC feature, the Center's Shamina Singh shares how our global Mastercard Strive programs are addressing gaps in the small business support ecosystem, how data tools like the Inclusive Growth Score can help communities uncover opportunities for local investments in small business, and how Mastercard's #FarmPass is enabling more smallholder farmers to earn fairer prices and access new buyers through a digital marketplace. https://lnkd.in/enyVAPpV #smallbusiness #financialinclusion #inclusivegrowth
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Have questions about our new Artificial Intelligence to Accelerate Inclusion (#AI2AI) Challenge? Join data.org's Lindsey Gottschalk during our final Q&A webinar on July 1 for some answers! Don’t miss the chance to ask your pressing questions before submitting your application by July 18. Register today: https://data.org/events/ DataDotOrg, Dasra #AIforImpact #InclusiveGrowth
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Small businesses play a critical role in powering #inclusivegrowth and achieving the #SDGs. As we commemorate #MSMEday, the Center’s Natasha Jamal and Janet Shulist (from our partner Caribou Digital), reflect on the insights and early results from Mastercard Strive, our global portfolio of philanthropic small business programs. Since 2021, Mastercard Strive has been on a journey to empower small businesses for a digital future, reaching over 11.5 million entrepreneurs with digital content and transformational solutions across more than 15 countries. Survey results from five partners highlight opportunities to advance data-driven, digital-first solutions that have helped small businesses build resilience, save time and money, generate more revenue, and adapt in a changing economy. All of this impact is underpinned by bringing stakeholders together to collaborate and share insights to support small business resilience and growth. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gekBH-xR
Reaching and engaging micro and small businesses today, and every day
mastercard.com
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So many highlights from the 2024 Global Inclusive Growth Summit, it's hard to choose just one — so enjoy the best bits from three days of insightful conversation. 83 speakers 60 sessions 600+ in person attendees 10,000+ virtual attendees 197 countries One goal: Advancing #InclusiveGrowth #GlobalIGS
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Like many countries in Latin America, Colombia has seen tremendous acceleration of digital financial services since 2020. Yet, there is still work to do to ensure #digitaltransformation benefits everyone, everywhere—especially small businesses and rural populations. The Center’s Shamina Singh and Luz Gomez visited Bogotá last week to explore collaborations that can help address digital disparities. Highlights included: 👂 Hearing from small business owners who participated in the Small Firm Diaries, a global research project from Financial Access Initiative, NYU Wagner aimed at informing products and policies that meet small business needs. (62% of SMEs in Colombia lack access to business financial products.) 🤝 Connecting with USAID Colombia to discuss working together to expand financial inclusion in rural areas and strengthen the financial ecosystem with data-driven approaches. Our team left inspired by Colombia's entrepreneurial spirit driving financial inclusion and growth. #FinancialInclusion #Innovation #SmallBusiness #InclusiveGrowth #FinanzasparalaEquidad