February 16, 2011

Cell Phone Banking!

I found these videos on the Gates Foundation website and thought I would post them here considering my past post was about Financial Services for the Poor.  Peter and I went to a microfinance conference at SPU sometime last year and we were blessed to hear Tamara Cook, one of my classmates wives and a Gates employee, speak about the new possibilities and opportunities for the poor in regards to financial services.  People were not just using their cell phones to communicate with each other, but they were also using their phones for banking services!  How cool is that?  I love this concept considering so many people have access to mobile phones, but lack the access to banking facilities.  Thus, people have discovered a beautiful way to provide access to these services, such as deposits, withdrawals, and transfers, via the use of something extremely familiar - a mobile phone.  

Making Money Mobile


Haitians living in a cash-based economy turn to cell phones for safe banking.


Bringing banking outside the bank.


Melinda French Gates talks about her recent trip to Mexico to learn more about new finanical services for the poor. A partnership of community-owned stores is helping rural poor populations gain access to bank accounts and other financial services in affordable and convenient ways.


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