In this blog post, we document the process of using GIS software and spatial data to assess the geographic distribution of bank branches, ATMs, CICO agents, and other financial access points relative to the spatial distribution of population (including the poor). We have efforts underway to extend the Kenya mapping and to map Tanzania, Uganda, Pakistan, and other countries.

The paper provides an overview of what AML standards mean for public institutions and highlights challenges that have surfaced to date.

Claire Alexandre from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation examines the initiatives that have been created worldwide to promote financial inclusion.

In 2010, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched a study with BFA to understand the demand for domestic payment services in the Philippines and to identify potential opportunities and unmet needs for mobile money providers to target. The study found the Philippines is an active and mature payment market, with a myriad of payment providers, including payment centers, banks and pawn shops to choose from…

While it has often been described as a money transfer product, when mobile money reaches scale it can also be seen as a network infrastructure and platform facilitating the exchange of cash