Posts tagged ‘mobile phones’
Mobile Payments: the Devil is in the Details
By: Tara Capsuto, KF 13, Kenya
Only 4 million Kenyans have bank accounts. Over 10 million people – approximately 40% of the adult population — in the country now use the M-PESA money transfer service. The rapid growth of mobile payments in Kenya in recent years has been hailed as the key to unlocking financial access for millions of unbanked individuals. While mobile payments are transforming the financial landscape in Kenya, especially for the unbanked, experience at KADET (Kenya Agency for Development of Enterprise and Technology), one of Kiva’s MFI partners in Kenya, highlights that there are also real challenges to making mobile money transfers work for an MFI and their clients. Illiteracy, human error, and fraud are all factors that make mobile payments more complicated than they sound initially.
Exciting Technology Helping Borrowers, Changing East Africa
Jenny Jin, KF11- Kenya
It’s an exciting time to be in Nairobi, Kenya right now – especially for anyone who’s interested in development. This city is filled with passionate locals and expats who are working on social enterprises, green companies, and tech startups of all different perspectives and approaches to tackle big challenges. I arrived in Nairobi six weeks ago after living in Silicon Valley for the past three years, and I found a city even more energetic about innovation than where I had come from.
Mini Carga desde 1 Boliviano (Mini-Recharge from 1 Boliviano)
Everywhere I go in Bolivia I see huge billboards that advertise “Mini Carga desde 1 Bs” (Mini recharge from 1 Boliviano) with a picture of a guy holding a 1 Boliviano coin and a cellphone.
Mini Carga desde 1 Boliviano (Mini-Recharge from 1 Boliviano)
Mini Carga desde 1 Boliviano
After having my Bolivian cellphone for only a day, I couldn’t for the life of me understand why companies were advertising such a small sum of money to recharge your pre-paid phone. Especially since a phone call of a few seconds would eat that 1 Boliviano before you could say “hola” (although text messages are much cheaper, around 20 Bolivian cents each depending on the company – Entel, Tigo or Viva). It seemed so inefficient. But then I talked to a friend who has lived in Bolivia longer than I have, after which I couldn’t help but think of the similarities between mini carga and microfinance.
So here’s the scoop…
Continue Reading 28 March 2010 at 05:30 lethalsheethal 3 comments
