Tag Archives: Finance

18Apr/23

The National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) of Zambia allows partial pension withdrawals

April 18, 2023 /Finance/ — The law allows NAPSA beneficiaries to withdraw a portion of their pension savings before they reach retirement age. The amount that can be withdrawn is limited to 50% of the accumulated savings, and the withdrawal can be made in installments over a period of up to 10 years.

To qualify for partial pension withdrawal, beneficiaries must meet the following criteria: Continue reading

18Apr/23

Debt dangers in Africa: how defaults hurt people, and why forgiveness isn’t the answer

Philippe Burger, University of the Free State

Public debt repayments in some African countries are at their highest levels since 1998. The Conversation Africa’s founding editor Caroline Southey talks to dean and economics professor Philippe Burger about the danger of debt problems some African countries face.

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16Apr/23

What is in Zambia’s debt restructuring proposal sent bondholders?

April 16, 2023 /Finance/ — If Zambia’s debt restructuring proposal is successful, it will help to improve the country’s economic outlook and create a more stable environment for businesses and investors. This will ultimately benefit the Zambian people by creating jobs, improving infrastructure, and providing access to basic services.

It is important to note that there are a number of risks associated with Zambia’s debt restructuring proposal. If the proposal is not successful, it could lead to a further deterioration in Zambia’s economy and could potentially lead to a default on Zambia’s debt.

Zambia sent a debt restructuring proposal to bondholders on April 14, 2023. The proposal includes the following key points: Continue reading

27Mar/23

Equifax Introduces New OneScore Scoring Model to Help Expand Access to Credit and Drive Financially Inclusive Lending

Equifax® (NYSE: EFX) continues to support financially inclusive lending with the launch of OneScore, a new consumer credit scoring model that combines the company’s leadership in alternative data insights with the power of the Equifax Cloud™ to provide U.S. lenders and service providers with a more comprehensive financial picture of credit seeking consumers. OneScore is unique to the industry because it is the first single score to combine traditional credit history with telecommunications, pay TV and utility payment data on over 191 million consumers, as well as Equifax DataX and Teletrack specialty finance data on 80 million consumers – including payment history from non-traditional banks and lenders – potentially increasing credit scores by up to 25 points and the scorable population by more than 20 percent.

24Mar/23

Women only gained access to the London Stock Exchange in 1973 – why did it take so long?

James Taylor, Lancaster University

On March 26 1973, the London Stock Exchange admitted its first female members. This followed years of resistance, with London trailing behind other smaller exchanges around the UK.

That women had been excluded for so long was not only due to institutional misogyny. Research has shown how finance was imagined in sexist terms for centuries. And despite the extraordinary accomplishments of prominent female figures over the past 50 years, these biased beliefs persist to this day.

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13Mar/23

HSBC will acquire the assets of SVB UK. Deposits will be protected

Here’s the HM Treasury statement:

Silicon Valley Bank (UK) Ltd has today been sold to HSBC. HSBC is headquartered in London, is the largest bank in Europe and is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services institutions, serving 39 million customers globally. Customers of SVB UK will be able to access their deposits and banking services as normal from today.
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28Dec/22

Japanese fintech leader Smartpay first to launch the next phase of digital consumer finance through open banking

Japan-based fintech Smartpay has launched Smartpay Bank Direct, the country’s first digital consumer finance service that allows customers to pay for online installment purchases straight from their bank accounts. Smartpay Bank Direct emphasizes user security while delivering convenience for the consumer, through a network of 67 partner banks across Japan[1]. Smartpay is Japan’s first digital consumer finance company to utilize Japan’s open banking system. Continue reading

13Dec/22

The Swiss financial industry has successfully traded and settled tokenized investment products

For the first time, key players in the Swiss financial industry successfully developed and tested a novel settlement mechanism for tokenized investment products on a public blockchain testnet infrastructure. A smart contract, developed by the Capital Markets and Technology Association (the CMTA), allows for streamlined processes, reduces complexity, raises security, and eliminates counterparty risks from trades. The CMTA’s proof of concept marks a milestone for the Swiss financial industry. Continue reading

09Dec/22

79% of risk pros prioritize credit risk transformation in race to digitalize banking

Regulatory demands, calls for greater transparency and accessibility, plus customers jumping ship to more agile fintech counterparts – banks are feeling pressured to enact a digital revolution, according to risk professionals on the ground. A key pillar of this modernization, credit risk transformation (CRT), is the focus of a new risk technology study by the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) and analytics leader SAS. Continue reading