Last billion Arunjay Katakam

With data science strengthening its power and influence over us, a certain community is growing
increasingly curious: why do most data collected belong to White or Asian persons? Why are data
analysis and research highly limited to user experience improvement? Why, despite the private
sector utilising data so well to improve their business, are public sector organisations, NGOs, and
social enterprises unable to use data science to do something good for humanity?

Ronda Zelezny-Green has spent years researching ways to bridge this gap between the usage of
data between the private and public sectors and highlighted four different pathways for people
interested in data science if social impact is their passion: people new to data science and social
work, existing data professionals wanting to move to social impact work (transitional talent), people
with skills for social impact but learning data science skills to their portfolio, and people with the
skills to become a leader with their data science and social impact work experience.

Ronda envisions having 1 million purpose-driven data professionals trained over the next ten years.
In this episode, Ronda sits with Arunjay to talk about her advent into data science and social work
from being a teacher trainer in South Korea, Equatorial Guinea, and Madagascar. After pursuing her
master’s, she opened up to the power of technology and education to change the world for the
better and has since relentlessly worked for the cause. Explaining the impact of the pandemic on
the educational and donor systems and the need for more people to utilise data for good, Ronda
expands on the pathways to data science and the mindset needed to pursue it sustainably.

Time-stamps:

[01:08] Ronda’s current role at data.org and passion for data science.
[02:45] Ronda on co-founding Panoply Digital and BRK Jima.
[05:56] Ronda’s latest report, “Unwanted Data Talent for Social Impact”.
[09:17] The four different pathways people interested in data science for social impact can take to get started.
[11:21] What are some of the barriers to the adoption of data science?
[13:55] The impact of the pandemic on education and the need for change.
[17:20] The impact of the pandemic on schools.
[19:24] The impact of the pandemic on the donor model.
[20:56] Ronda’s background and advice for those interested in international development.

Connect with Ronda:

Personal Website: http://rondazg.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rondaz_g

Connect with Us:
Website: https://www.lastbillion.org/

What advancements could the agricultural sector anticipate due to the developments in the mobile industry?

The mobile revolution has favoured many sectors of the economy, with industries as varied as fashion, gaming and real estate, to name but a few, all finding innovative ways to leverage its growth. One industry sector that's worth taking a closer look at is agriculture.

As Arunjay speaks with our guest for today's episode Rishi Raithatha, who's a financial specialist and writer, you'll learn how the agricultural industry can team up with mobile network operators and mobile money technology to build climate resilience through accurate climate and weather predictions and devise financially inclusive insurance schemes for farmers.

As a digital finance specialist with extensive experience working in technology offering insurance to smallholder farmers, Rishi has devoured multiple kinds of research that reduce financial inequalities in the farming industry. Today's conversation will introduce you to the technical side of the business, helping you ascertain the incredible potential that technology is offering to the farming industry.

Time-stamps:

[1:18] Rishi's experience working in GSMA for four and a half years and what he learned about mobile money from his time there
[5:38] What is climate resilience?
[6:28] How do you help farmers build climate resilience?

[7:58] Using commercial microwave links as virtual weather sensors to monitor and map rainfall measurements
[13:50] Using mobile money to facilitate financial inclusion of farmers
[16:38] How Pula can unify farmers across regions and make insurance coverage accessible to them all

[18:24] What is meant by the weather insurance index?
[19:28] Rishi explains how his job role allows him to landscape potential markets and value chains
[22:27] Where you can connect with Rishi

Connect with Rishi

Personal Website: https://rishiraithatha.com/

Connect with Us

Website: https://www.lastbillion.org/

With the ongoing pandemic calling out for increased mobility in every industry, the mobile money and fintech sectors are moving fast to cater to its diverging market. Director of Strategic Projects at MFS Africa, Nika Naghavi, joins hosts Janet Shutlist and Arunjay Katakam on the Last Billion podcast to offer her extensive knowledge about the past, present, and future of mobile money.

Mobile money is ALL the rage these days. In less than ten years, it has grown from an interesting idea to a worldwide phenomenon. In this episode, we explore the latest stats and trends in mobile money and how agents re-emerged stronger post COVID. We dig into the advances made with fintech in the past year, re-visit three major mobile money trends from 2016, and find out the reasons for mobile money dominance in Africa. Skeptical about the unimagined push to digitalization today? Tune in to also understand why questions pertaining to unprecedented digital transformation need to be better addressed.

Time-stamps:

[00:43] - Nika discusses the highlights around mobile money from last year. 

[02:50] - Learn how agents fared last year - the challenges faced and how they revived from there.

[03:57] - Bulk payments quadrupled in 2020. Learn about bulk disbursements (as government subsidies and NGO disbursements) and the need for more subsidies and protection programs by governments.

[05:46] - Arunjay on the happenings around Fintech the previous year.

💰 Fintechs have raised $23B across the regions since 2017

🌍 Africa’s average seed rounds stand at $1M, India and Latin America average $4M

🦄 Latin America is IPO-hungry, India breeds unicorns while Africa is just getting started with M&A

💳 Payments, credit, and neobanks lead fintech activity

Access the full report here: https://bfaglobal.com/catalyst-fund/briter-catalyst-fund-state-of-the-fintech-industry-report/

[07:05] - Three major mobile money trends from 2016 revisited.

Three major mobile money trends to watch in 2016 | by Arunjay Katakam

[08:26] - Is lack of competition the reason for mobile money dominance in Africa? 

[10:24] - Will the gains due to pandemic stick post-pandemic?

[11:48] - Demonetization in India and its short-lived benefits - A case study

Connect With Nika: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nika-naghavi-a15b6448/

Connect With Us: https://www.lastbillion.org/

  

In this episode, host Janet Shulist facilitates a debate between Arunjay Katakam, futurist and entrepreneur and Nika Naghavi, Director of Data and Insights for the Mobile Money Program at the GSMA. Arunjay and Nika debate the future of mobile money in developing countries, with Nika representing the MNOs and Arunjay representing Fintechs and over-the-top players.

Guest bios:

Nika Naghavi is the Data & Insights Director for the Mobile Money Programme at the GSMA. In her role, she provides the programme and its stakeholders with intelligence and analysis on future trends and opportunities within the Mobile Money sector with a focus on emerging use cases, business models, disruptive innovation, best practices and social impact opportunities. Nika joined GSMA in 2013 and has held various roles, including overseeing Mobile Money Programme’s publication and projects as well as designing an overarching data strategy to ensure that the Programme keeps providing the most relevant analytics and insights to meet the needs of the industry.

Arunjay Katakam is motivated by his passion for financial inclusion and solving poverty, Arunjay is focused on how he can use technology for good, breaking down barriers to democratise money. A highly regarded payment expert with strong strategic and analytical skills, Arunjay worked with the GSMA Mobile Money programme for five years. Where he provided a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of mobile money including analysing the impact of new technologies and business models. As advisor to the Head of Mobile Money, in 2018 Arunjay led the strategy pivot to a Payments as a Platform approach and helped secure $17m funding for phase 4 of the programme.

Janet Shulist has more than six years of experience supporting financial inclusion initiatives through digital finance and mobile technology in emerging markets. She runs her own consultancy to support fintechs and digital finance providers and previously was a Mobile Money Insights Manager at GSMA.

Key topics:


Nika fills us in on some of the key highlights from this year’s state of the industry report on mobile money.
Janet asks the guests how MNOs and Fintech companies have responded to the unique challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Who is better equipped to reach those last one billion unconnected people- MNOs or Fintech companies?

Welcome  to the last billion podcast. This is a regular podcast that shines a  light on the people, programs and tools that aim to end poverty for the  last billion people in the next 10 years.

Our hosts Janet Shulist and Arunjay Katakam take you through recent news:

1. Tech speeding up aid operations in 2019

http://news.trust.org/item/20191217232954-gshlg/

2. The threat to MNOs is finally here, it's not Banks, it's not Facebook/WhatsApp/Google, etc and it is not mainstream Chinese players Alibaba and Tencent (at least not yet). The treat is coming from other Chinese actors.

https://techcrunch.com/2019/11/17/operas-africa-fintech-startup-opay-gains-120m-from-chinese-investors/

https://techcrunch.com/2019/11/12/palmpay-launches-in-nigeria-on-40m-round-led-by-chinas-transsion/

3. Designing to close the gender gap

https://www.womenandmoney.design/#opportunities

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