Announcing NextBillion’s Most Influential Articles of 2025: Vote for Your Favorites by Jan. 4

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NextBillion’s “Most Influential Articles of nan Year” title has been an yearly contented since 2012. This year, nan title happens successful nan midst of our ceremony of the site’s 20th day online.

Below, we’ve highlighted 12 of our most-read articles from nan past year, connected topics that encompass caller developments successful emerging markets business (e.g., nan challenges facing PAYGo star and nan shifting world improvement backing landscape) to perennial priorities for illustration last-mile distribution and blended finance. FYI: You whitethorn announcement that 1 of nan articles is from precocious 2024, not 2025. We’ve travel to recognize that limiting nan title day scope to Jan. 1 – Dec. 31 whitethorn exclude impermanent articles published soon earlier we prime nan 12 competing articles successful mid-December, since they don’t person clip to get capable readership to qualify. So going forward, articles published successful December will beryllium eligible for nan title held nan consequent year.

The selected articles are listed alphabetically and linked below: We induce you to publication them, if you haven’t already, and to ballot for nan ones that influenced your reasoning nan most.

To vote, conscionable scroll to nan bottommost of this page — aliases nan bottommost of immoderate article included successful nan contest. You tin ballot up to erstwhile per hr betwixt coming (Dec. 19) and 11:59 p.m. EST connected Jan. 4.

As ever this clip of year, NextBillion would for illustration to definitive our gratitude to our impermanent writers and readers. As a level driven by reader-contributed content, your support remains basal to our work. We convey you for your engagement complete these past 20 years, and we wish you a happy and prosperous 2026.


Comparing Four Last-Mile Distribution Models: Best Practices and Common Pitfalls successful Reaching Rural Customers

Lucie Klarsfeld McGrath is a Partner at Hystra and co-founder of the Global Distributors Collective, Joana Furquim is a advisor astatine Hystra, and Jeanne Charbit is a Project Manager astatine Hystra.


Connected Power: Ensuring Africa is Not Left successful nan Dark — aliases Offline

Ravi Suchak is Group Head of External Affairs, Sustainability and Public Policy at Helios Towers.


Consultants astatine a Crossroads successful Global Development: New Research Reveals their Challenges — And Highlights Strategies for Navigating nan Current Disruption

Alethia Wong is an independent advisor providing advisory services to foundations, effect funds, societal enterprises and non-profits; Lorenz Wild is an independent advisor and Professional Certified Coach.


Ending nan Vicious Circle successful PAYGo Solar: How Companies and Investors Can Move nan Sector Toward ‘PAYGo 2.0’

Dan Murphy is nan laminitis and Managing Director of Catalyst Energy Advisors, and a co-founder and Director at PAYGo Lab, and Willem Nolens is nan Managing Director of PAYGo Lab.


Revitalizing Off-Grid Solar: Why Africa’s PAYGo Sector is Ready for a New Dawn

Chris Emmott is nan Associate Director of Investing successful Energy Access at Acumen; Audrey Desiderato is Head of nan inclusive modulation inaugural at Mirova (formerly SunFunder); and Bankole Cardoso is nan Managing Director of Delta40 Venture Studio.


Subsidy and Synergy: How Philanthropy Can Complement Impact Investing More Effectively

Asad Mahmood is CEO of Social Investment Managers & Advisors, LLC (SIMA), and Nanno Kleiterp is a renowned leader successful improvement finance.


The Emergence of Tokenisation successful Microfinance: How this Blockchain-Based Technology is Driving Faster Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs In Emerging Markets

Michele Mattioda is a Director at Mikro Kapital.


The Gender Aspect of nan E-Mobility Transition: An Innovative Collaboration successful Kenya Highlights New Ways to Bring Women into nan Sector

Dana Gorodetsky is Program Manager astatine the William Davidson Institute‘s Energy and Mobility team. NextBillion is simply a publication of nan William Davidson Institute.


The Global Aid Industry is Repeating nan Mistakes that Caused nan 2008 Financial Crisis: A Warning from a Former Leader astatine Lehman Brothers

David Davies is nan Founding CEO of AgUnity.


The Inverse Relationship Between Liquidity and Impact: Results from Toniic’s Groundbreaking 10-Year Study of nan Practices of Top Impact Investors

Adam Bendell is President of Toniic.


To Change nan World, Change Your Economics: How Degrowth Can Shrink Overconsumption successful nan Global North While Allowing nan Global South to Grow

Matt Orsagh and Steve Rocco are co-founders of the Arketa Institute for Post-Growth Finance.


When AI Gets It Wrong: Lessons from a Women-Centered Design Experiment Highlight nan Need for Inclusive GPTs

Koheun Lee is nan Human-Centered Program Manager for CARE’s Strive Women Program.

Photo credit: anatoliycherkas


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