South Africa's Mail & Guardian has a
news report looking at the use of Cell Phone banking to bring low income groups into the banked population, and thereby increase their potential for economic participation. The story looks at research among customers of South Africa's Wizzit Bank and a
sample of the unbanked.
There's also a related research
report from the participants in the research activity (CGAP, UN Foundation and Vodafone), and the subject gets general discussion in this Vodafone Foundation
document. The UN has also covered the importance increasing participation in the financial system, in order to deliver against the Millennium Development Goals, here's one example of their
output.
Which made we wonder what other examples are there of mobile banking being deployed to reach low income groups in developing countries?