MetLife Foundation and BFA created the OPTIX project in 2014 to help four socially-driven microfinance institutions and cooperatives in Bangladesh, Vietnam, Mexico, and Colombia to better understand their low-income customers and create appropriate future-proof solutions to serve them. OPTIX combined data analytics, market research, behavioral science, and a thorough understanding of low-income customers to help financial institutions develop more relevant, cost-effective financial products and tools to improve customers’ financial health. Each institution took different pathways to

Being a parent has its challenging moments. That’s particularly true when it comes to your child’s health: How do I know if my child is developing normally? Is my drinking water safe? What immunization schedule is ideal for my child? What should our family do to avoid malaria? My child has the sniffles and fever—again! Is something wrong? Is there any help for autism or ADHD here? How can I be sure my child will get the right care in an emergency? Many of these questions—and more—are sure to come up as you begin the adventure of raising a family. And if you’re a first-time parent or new in-country, finding the right health-care for your child can make all the difference to your peace of mind.

Amidst a skyline sparkling with the world’s smartest customers, we believe you also deserve contract interiors with a difference: Interiors that soar above the ordinary and make a statement. Interiors that save on two all-important commodities: time and money. Interiors that are as intelligent and technologically savvy as their inhabitants. Or even, sometimes, interiors that are, quite simply, beautiful. And green. CityScapes NYC, a manufacturers’ representative firm serving architects,

Perhaps you’ve heard a mortgage officer talk about something called LMI. That’s short for a product known as Lenders Mortgage Insurance. That long term is a mouthful, so you can understand why the short version is preferred in everyday conversation. You’ll hear about LMI in situations when a borrower is seeking a full-doc loan with an LVR—short for loan to value ratio—of more than 80%. LMI is usually a must for low-doc borrowers when the LVR is greater than 60% LMI is simply a type of insuranc

If you’re looking to have a website designed for your business or organization for the first time, chances are you have a lot of questions. If this is not your first website, we would still like to point out many changes in technology – especially on Google – that can be very important before you make your selection of a website designer. There are many ways to get a website designed. If you have plenty of time and are reasonably comfortable with basic computers and Word-processing, you could de

The organic, nature-inspired forms of designer Daniel Issak represent an intense yearning to balance the values imbibed from his childhood in an artistic Spanish family and those derived from his fascination with science. His Spermatozoi collection, with its undulant forms tinged with mystery and mythology, is a splendid example of his special design alchemy. The pieces in this latest collection could be said to have drawn inspiration equally from under the sea, under a microscope and atop Mount Olympus—and are all the more fascinating for having been captured in glass.

Don't spend the winter shivering in your cardie! Auckland’s winters have been getting noticeably colder. With this change, there’s a good chance that your home’s heating system, designed for warmer times and with outdated technology, no longer seems up to the job. Regular servicing of your boiler has become more important than ever to ensure your system is safe and ready before winter’s chill strikes.

Some of us remember a Mombasa that was clean and green, a much-loved Nyali bridge that never jammed, and a gracious pace of life and generosity that set us apart and made the Coast a haven. For others, highrise buildings sprouting from impassable roads, commutes lasting hours to travel a distance of only a few kilometres, daily power cuts, recurrent flooding, rising crime, rising prices and a rising stench from uncollected rubbish have been our experience of living on the North Coast.