"NTF4Ag: Emerging Lessons and New Frontiers brings together key results, insights from the case studies, pilots and crosscutting research conducted by MEDA and its partners over the last three years. The report is framed around INNOVATE's four learning themes, which emerged in an iterative manner from the research portfolio along with engagement with key stakeholders through events, conferences, and ongoing dialogue.

This report is aimed at a diverse set of actors in the smallholder finance landscape including the private sector, research organizations, implementing agencies, funders, and policymakers."

"The extensive and ever-increasing penetration of mobile phones in developing and emerging markets presents a significant opportunity to women entrepreneurs who want to develop their micro businesses into flourishing small and growing enterprises. The objective of this study was to identify the most useful mobile value added services (VAS) solutions which would enable women entrepreneurs to advance their businesses in selected geographies. As a result of this identification exercise, this report serves as a valuable reminder that investment in mobile VAS presents promising and beneficial outcomes for commercial stakeholders, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), governments and women entrepreneurs alike."

"G7 countries now have a strategic opportunity to scale up green and sustainable finance for SMEs. This could help support and strengthen the role that SMEs can play in connecting business growth, innovation strategies and entrepreneurial efforts with climate action and sustainable development. Mobilizing Sustainable Finance for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. To this end, a Sustainable Finance Toolbox for SMEs has been developed which contains a range of options for G7 countries to implement on a voluntary basis in partnership with key stakeholders such as financial institutions, SME business associations, public financial institutions, as well as central banks and regulators."

"Investments designed specifically to promote development are not new, but their application across a broad range of sectors-from moderate-income housing, to health care, water and sanitation, and rural development-is recent. And they raise several critical questions for development policy. Are they an effective new tool for long-term development? Are they likely to reach the scale necessary to be part of an overall development strategy?

This report offers an important survey and analysis of the field. Impact investing has the potential to spur development in regions and sectors that traditional foreign direct investment does not target, but it faces many challenges, notably market fragmentation and a lack of infrastructure. The authors, former executive vice president of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and former CGD visiting fellow, John Simon, and Julia Barmeier suggest concrete steps that will help the market mature and grow, with separate and specific recommendations for practitioners, development finance institutions, and regulators."

"Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) are uniquely positioned to address the troubling trend of rising wealth and income inequality in the United States by focusing on the creation of higher quality jobs. To move toward a reality where quality jobs are the standard- not the exception-CDFIs must build consensus around a common definition of a quality job, undertake practical efforts to foster the creation of quality jobs, and measure results to understand what works.

This discussion paper seeks to answer two important questions at the center of Community Development Financial Institutions' (CDFIs) efforts to create quality jobs: what is a quality job, and how can CDFIs measure job quality?"

"This report covers the Indian economy and its infrastructure challenges. Its challenge is different to that of most other G20 countries. Instead of an infrastructure transition, India's journey is one of infrastructure creation. It has the option to skip the growth trajectory adopted by many other countries and move straight to an economy fit for the 21st century.

India is forecast to grow at seven to eight percent in 2018-19, the fastest rate of growth amongst the G20 countries. India is still amongst the lowest quartile of nations in terms of per-capita income. People's quality of life is held back by, amongst others, the country's inadequate infrastructure."

"This study presents a new approach to the estimation of the unmet demand for financing from MSMEs in developing countries. Importantly, it also describes the potential implications for the public-sector bodies, private sector financial institutions, and technology providers. The present research adds significant value to the repository of data in the MSME space, and opens new opportunities for further investigation. It estimates both supply of and demand for MSME finance on a global scale, which has never been done in a comprehensive way. This approach estimates MSME equilibrium lending in developed economies according to the industry, age, and size categories, and applies this benchmark to MSMEs in developing countries. It estimates the MSME finance gap as the difference between current supply and potential demand which can potentially be addressed by financial institutions."

"This report investigates the role of SGBs in economic growth and the key success factors of business networks for SGBs. It also spotlights the impact of two organizations - Enablis Senegal and CEED Moldova - on SGB growth. Finally, the report outlines implications for funders, ecosystem builders, SGB-support organizations and SGBs."

"This report highlights opportunities for inclusive business across five sectors: financial services, food and beverages, healthcare, infrastructure and skills building and education. It also shares insights gained from a survey, interviews and workshops on how inclusive business can be scaled to accelerate achievement of the SDGs by 2030.

This publication is the first in a series of three produced by BCtA to highlight the efforts of its members and other inclusive businesses in Kenya, the Philippines and Colombia, focusing on both the opportunities and challenges of inclusive business. It aims to encourage companies' engagement in inclusive business and contribution to the SDGs by offering examples of successful and emerging approaches, and indicating how governments and other stakeholders can support their establishment and scaling up."

"Anecdotal evidence of successfully accelerated ventures has been followed by more rigorous studies by GALI and some emerging academic research. But as the evidence behind accelerator effectiveness expands, the question remains-at what cost? This methods brief first frames the various ways accelerators can think about value for money of their programs. Then, it explores one practical approach to calculating value for money. Finally, the brief summarizes similar evaluations conducted for other types of entrepreneur support programs. Accelerators and funders can use this guide to understand their options for assessing value for money and to consider how they could incorporate this concept into their data collection and program assessments."