Personality tests for loans

06/16/20 • 24 min

A short online test that reveals attitudes, opinions and thought processes is being used to help decide whether to give people loans. The idea is to use psychometric tests to give people with little or no credit history a better chance of getting support and investment. New ways of providing financial services are needed because 1.7 billion people have no access to any kind of formal banking facilities, according to the World Bank. Known as the unbanked, they deal only in cash. This can make it harder to reduce poverty, save money or invest for the future. Cheap mobile phones and good network coverage in Nigeria are also transforming the lives of people who previously only dealt in cash. Presented and produced by Anisa Subedar Picture credit: Getty Images

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Kids fixing the world

This week we look at four brilliant inventions by children: a phone app to stop drivers missing road signs; a robot that is activated when a vulnerable person falls over; a tool to help fire departments predict the likelihood of wildfires, and a way to make your fish tank double as a vegetable patch for microgreens.

The future engineers and scientists behind these innovations are aged between 12 and 16 and were all entrants in the UK’s Big Bang Competition. Head judge Helena Dodd joins William Kremer to discuss what makes a winning design, and what grown-ups everywhere can do to unleash the problem-solving power of the next generation.

Reported and produced by William Kremer.

Picture: Freddie with Fallbot

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How tech is tackling wildlife trafficking

New technology is helping in the fight against wildlife poaching. Computer scientists have created a programme that uses artificial intelligence to predict where poachers are going to strike; a new generation of smart cameras is catching the criminals red-handed; and the latest police forensic techniques are being adapted to investigate these crimes. The aim is to put a stop to the illegal trade of wildlife trafficking, which is worth billions of dollars and is threatening the survival of species such as elephants, rhinos and tigers. Each year 20,000 elephants are killed for their ivory, according to WWF estimates. Reporter and producer - Richard Kenny for BBC World Service