News from Around the World

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Facebook unveils global digital coin called Libra


Facebook has revealed plans for a new global digital currency backed by assets and supported by more than two dozen companies ranging from Visa and Mastercard to Lyft and Spotify, bringing the heft of the world’s largest social network to efforts to transform financial services.

The scope of Facebook’s ambitions for the new currency, called Libra, was made clear as it claimed 1.7bn people around the world without a bank account would be able to use it to make instant and nearly free international money transfers from their mobile phones.

CREDIT: Nicolas Asfouri

Treasury yields rise amid strong China data, progress in trade talks


U.S. government debt prices were lower Monday, as investors monitored strong manufacturing numbers out of China.

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'No country is untouched': Global Nutrition Report highlights compounding malnutrition


WASHINGTON — Every country in the world experiences the burden of malnutrition and many nations now see a compounding of different forms including stunting, wasting, anemia, and obesity, according to the “2018 Global Nutrition Report.”

Child stunting, anemia in women of reproductive age, and overweight in women were examined in 141 countries that had consistent data on those malnutrition indicators. Findings show 88 percent (124 countries) have high levels of at least two different types of malnutrition, while 29 percent have high levels of all three.

Graphs and charts. Photo by: Lukas / CC0

3 key development finance trends to watch


PARIS — Even before the Sustainable Development Goals passed, it was clear that the private sector and private finance would be critical to achieving the ambitious objectives. But the conversation has evolved significantly since then — raising questions and creating new challenges.

cop24.gov.pl

3 takeaways from COP24


KATOWICE, Poland — The final plenary session was postponed nine times before negotiators in Katowice, Poland, were finally — exhaustedly — able to assemble on Saturday evening and adopt a Paris Agreement “rulebook.”

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A Look at Digital Credit in Kenya and Why Access Alone Is not Enough


In addition to working at a hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, Grace is a clothing entrepreneur. She uses a mobile app to take out loans that help her keep the business running.

“My customers usually don’t pay for the clothes immediately, so I usually borrow to ensure I can go to the market and buy goods for sale as I wait for payment,” Grace said, who used a loan from Tala to start her clothing business which provides her with additional income outside her work at the hospital.

Gender Equality SGDs

A new index shows how to measure gender equality in the SDGs


CANBERRA — In today’s development thinking, gender plays an key role — including in achieving the outcomes of the Sustainable Development Goals. But in progressing the SDG gender agenda, how do you create a solid set of data and monitor progress?

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A new US development finance agency takes flight


WASHINGTON — The United States will have a new development finance institution.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate passed the Better Utilization of Investment Leading to Development, or BUILD Act, which will create a new U.S. government agency — the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. Development experts called it the biggest change in U.S. development policy in 15 years.

View shows the African Development Bank in Abidjan. Photo by: REUTERS / Luc Gnago

Africa's 2019 economic outlook, according to AfDB


ABIDJAN — In recent years, African heads of state have frequently broadcast to the world that their continent is “open for business.” It has attracted more than $95 billion in foreign direct investment over the past two years.

A view of the plenary session at the 6th Africa CEO Forum

Africa's leading private sector investment conference kicks off in Abidjan


ABIDJAN — Transforming Africa — and how to effectively do so in a digital era — shaped panel discussions and sideline debates during the opening day of the sixth annual Africa CEO Forum, the continent’s premier private sector conference, which kicked off Monday in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.