frontier markets Archives - Emerging Markets Today

Suriname is carbon negative but needs a plan for a sustainable future

April 28, 2022April 28, 2022 Ana Paula Picasso

Suriname is one of only three carbon-negative countries (along with Butan and Panama) Paradoxically the country is extremely vulnerable to climate change. Suriname is one of only three carbon-negative countries (along with Butan and Panama) in the world. This means that it is able to absorb more carbon dioxide than it emits. The country is also one of the most biodiverse countries in South America. For a country to get carbon negative status, the country has to have a negative carbon balance. The country has to be able to absorb…

What a socially inclusive circular economy means for emerging markets

March 31, 2022April 4, 2022 Ana Paula Picasso

A circular economy is a multifaceted economic growth strategy that helps enterprises, society, and the environment all at the same time. Its purpose is to encourage reduced product waste, recycling, and reuse in addition to making better use of resources. A circular economy is a holistic approach to economic development that benefits enterprises, society, and the environment all at the same time. The objective is to use resources more efficiently and effectively by encouraging product avoidance, recycling, and reuse. Unlike the “take-make-waste” linear model, driven by hyper-consumption, short thinking, resource over-extraction,…

Why the artisan industry needs a decentralized cross-border payment solution

March 3, 2022March 24, 2022 Ana Paula Picasso

The artisan industry is the second largest employment in the developing world, and the worldwide handicrafts market is predicted to reach $984.8 billion by 2023, according to NEST’s State of the Handworker Economy Report. So, why do so many craftspeople throughout the world, particularly in developing countries, live in poverty?

Latin America’s fintech gold rush is China-sized

January 24, 2022January 27, 2022 Guest

While traditional investors continue to skim the froth of the developed world’s overcrowded venture scene, VCs who analyze emerging markets are uncovering regions where valuations are low, and rapid changes are undeniably afoot. Emerging market VCs have identified Latin America—a place brimming with presently low-value enterprises that bear large growth potential—as a region whose rise will rival China’s digital revolution a decade ago. And just as a fintech boom in China was what begat the country’s ubiquitous “Super Apps” like WeChat and Alibaba, a fintech boom in Latin American will…

Emerging Markets are ready for international trade, but need trade finance

November 24, 2021November 24, 2021 Ana Paula Picasso

Emerging markets have grown at a lightning speed. Over the last 20 years, it has resulted in transforming international trading practices. Emerging economies now play a larger role in international trade than ever before. Twenty years ago, emerging economies accounted for about 30 percent of the world’s trade. Today, the figure stands at nearly 50 percent.

As supply and demand grow, developing market enterprises require ongoing working capital to maximize distribution, operational efficiency, and inventory turnover. International trade financing companies can assist emerging-market businesses in improving their cash flow position and reducing their risk exposure.

International trade finance companies typically extend working capital to businesses in emerging markets by providing them with trade finance facilities such as documentary collections, letters of credit, standby letters of credit, factoring facilities, and export credit. When a buyer purchases goods from a seller,

World’s first mass malaria vaccine rollout could prevent thousands of children dying

October 12, 2021October 12, 2021 Guest

The world’s first mass vaccination program against malaria, announced this week, is set to prevent millions of children from catching malaria and thousands dying from this debilitating disease.

How we used smartphones to test for malaria: lessons from Uganda

August 25, 2021October 19, 2021 Ana Paula Picasso

We believe that Africa’s widespread adoption of smartphones, even in the most remote areas, could be key to empowering people to administer tests and securely share their results with health authorities.

Working with the Uganda Ministry of Health once more, we set out to develop a diagnostic app to pair with our origami diagnostic system.

The world must not look away as the Taliban sexually enslaves women and girls

August 17, 2021August 17, 2021 Guest

In early July, after Taliban leaders who took control of the provinces of Badakhshan and Takhar issued an order to local religious leaders to provide them with a list of girls over the age of 15 and widows under the age of 45 for “marriage” with Taliban fighters. It’s not yet known whether they’ve complied.

Shortage of coffee in 2021 might see record prices

July 29, 2021September 7, 2021 Ana Paula Picasso

Some of the most significant coffee-producing regions got less than half of the average amount of rain. Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of coffee. The rainy season in Brazil often occurs during the northern hemisphere’s winter, giving enough water for farmers to irrigate coffee plants and keep them alive for several months. Bloomberg reported this week that Brazil’s rainy season suffered a severe shortage of rain. Some of the most important coffee-producing regions received less than half the typical quantity of rain. As a result, “output of arabica coffee,…

Emerging Markets will leapfrog to renewable energy

July 21, 2021July 21, 2021 Guest

Emerging markets are about to leapfrog fossil fuels to generate all the growth in their electricity supply from renewables in this decade. The peak global fossil fuel usage for electricity generation was probably 2018. The emerging markets are key to the global transition.