Poor People Using Mobile Financial Services : Observations on Customer Usage and Impact from M-PESA

Despite growing agreement on the potential of technology to expand access to finance, or branchless banking, there is surprisingly little data publicly available about low-income users. This brief draws on some of the first ethnographic research on Mobile-Swahili for money (M-PESA), one of the earliest success stories in mobile phone-based delivery of financial services. The research offers insights into how poor people use M-PESA, its impact on their lives, and some unexpected consequences