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Guest Blogger: January 28th, 2010
This is a guest post, from Amitabh Saxena. Amitabh started the Alternative Channels workstream at ACCION in 2006 after spending several years in developing credit card products for Capital One’s Innovation Center. He has worked in strategy and implementation of various channels, particularly prepaid cards and mobile, for ACCION’s partner microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Last week in this space was an insightful blog post on the intersection of Mobile Money and Microfinance. I spent a number of years at a leading microfinance network called ACCION International, managing a new workstream I started called Alternative Channels, and last month wrote a comprehensive paper on how microfinance institutions (MFIs) can be a more active stakeholder in the m-banking space. So why and how can mobile operators approach these entities?
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Neil Davidson: January 19th, 2010
Over the past three decades, microfinance has given millions of people access to financial services for the first time. As such, it’s exciting to watch how mobile money providers and microfinance institutions are starting to work together to improve further the quality and range of financial services available to the poor. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the assets and capabilities of microfinance institutions and mobile money service providers are complementary; we see three specific kinds of collaboration…
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Paul Leishman: December 9th, 2009
I’m pleased to share an article recently written by Ignacio Mas, Deputy Director, Financial Services for the Poor at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation are supporters of the MMU Programme and similarly strong advocates for savings. That is, they see the immense social impact that could be realized by leveraging the consumer uptake of mobile money - and the supporting agent network infrastructure - to improve the savings landscape in developing markets.
Read the article for an analysis of the four key elements that underpin the viability of formal micro-savings offerings: the competition from informal savings mechanisms, the importance of formal trust-building through branding and marketing, the problem of distribution, and the complementarity between savings and payment services.
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Paul Leishman: September 8th, 2009
Earlier this week I had an opportunity to speak with Zahir Khoja, Executive Director - Mobile Money (M-PAISA) at Roshan. As the world’s focus turns once again to Afghanistan during the country’s elections process, I wanted to get Zahir’s perspective on launching mobile money in this complex environment. The challenges in the country are well known, but Zahir was quick to highlight the opportunities that come with advancing financial inclusion and developing important communication and payments infrastructure as the country rebuilds.
Today I will post the first part of our conversation. The remainder will be made available in the upcoming MMU Newsletter.
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Paul Leishman: July 10th, 2009
In keeping with the theme established at the Barcelona MMU working group of ‘understanding the mobile money customer’, I’ve posted some suggested reading and viewing material.
1. Portfolios of the Poor
For those looking for more data-driven findings like the ones presented at the working group, this book will be a valuable resource.
2. Use of G-Cash in Cantilan, Philippines
This video profiles use of G-Cash in Cantilan, a Filipino farming and fishing community 5 hours away from the nearest operational airport. The video features interviews with customers (there are 8,900 in Cantilan) and agents from a few of the 60+ small businesses, including pharmacies, bakeries, restaurants, who accept G-Cash as a payment method.
3. Microfinance: From Manual to Mobile Enabled (SMART)
This video provides a glimpse into the role that mobile money can play in microfinance loan disbursement and cash collection.
