Abstract
The surge in access to mobile phones throughout the developing world has brought with it a wide range of
benefits. One of the most noteworthy breakthroughs has been mobile money, enabling users to deposit,
transfer, and withdraw funds from a digital account without owning a bank account Mobile money provides
a dramatic reduction in transaction costs, as well as improvements in convenience, security, and time
taken for the transaction. There is a growing literature that documents the benefits of mobile money,
including improvements in the ability to smooth consumption better in the face of health and economic
shocks, improving women’s empowerment, and reducing poverty. More recently, there has been a growth
in digital financial services that use mobile money as the rails to deliver other products (largely credit).
However, such innovations are few and far between with more research needed on their deployment and
impact.
benefits. One of the most noteworthy breakthroughs has been mobile money, enabling users to deposit,
transfer, and withdraw funds from a digital account without owning a bank account Mobile money provides
a dramatic reduction in transaction costs, as well as improvements in convenience, security, and time
taken for the transaction. There is a growing literature that documents the benefits of mobile money,
including improvements in the ability to smooth consumption better in the face of health and economic
shocks, improving women’s empowerment, and reducing poverty. More recently, there has been a growth
in digital financial services that use mobile money as the rails to deliver other products (largely credit).
However, such innovations are few and far between with more research needed on their deployment and
impact.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Type | Wiki-inspired literature review |
| Media of output | Website |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2021 |
Publication series
| Name | VoxDevLit |
|---|---|
| No. | 1 |
| Volume | 2 |