Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Mobile Money Providers Will Provide Full Range of Financial Services in Africa by 2030

Banking and agriculture are two important ways mobile phones will help transform the lives of billions of people over the next 15 years, argues Bill Gates.

In Bangladesh, the fastest-growing financial services company is a mobile money provider called bKash. Less than four years after launching, it processes roughly 2 million transactions per day, with a total value of nearly $1 billion each month.

Mobile also will play a role in raising agricultural outcomes. As more farmers have access to mobile phones, they will be able to receive all sorts of information, from weather reports to current market prices, and be able to use that information to advantage.

“Already, in the developing countries with the right regulatory framework, people are storing money digitally on their phones and using their phones to make purchases, as if they were debit cards,” the Gates says. “By 2030, two billion people who don't have a bank account today will be storing money and making payment with their phones.”

By 2030, mobile money providers will be offering the full range of financial services, from interest-bearing savings accounts to credit to insurance.

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