NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Cell phone–based money systems have been wildly successful in some countrieslike Kenya, while other places have ignored mobile money trials entirely. Why? To transact is universal, but how and why we transact is inherently local – new mobile money services require a foundational understanding of local consumer needs as well as deep knowledge of the regulatory environment and the right technology.

Last month a team from Myanmar-based Proximity Designs, design strategy consultancy frog and Studio D Radiodurans started a journey to map the changing financial landscape in Myanmar. Our aim over the two-month project — funded by the Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion — is to understand the formal and informal ways in which the poor transact, save and invest.