In 2008, the New York Times raised the question of whether cell phones could help end global poverty. Four years later, millions of people who can’t afford a bank account are transferring money, receiving money and performing other bank-like financial transactions with their cell phones. Some believe mobile phones are key to the delivery of financial services at affordable costs to disadvantaged and low income segments of society. Yet a few weeks ago, an article on Slate claims the cost of cellphone-based services are “hurting huge swaths of the developing world.”
Watch our video mashup to get an overview of several prominent mobile money services and learn more about points raised in the Slate article and the rebuttal against it.
Clips of the following videos are used in the mashup:
- mPesa Send Money Home TV Commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEZ30K5dBWU
- Easypaisa Money Transfer in Pakistan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTWdxng-T8g
- World Bank – WIZZIT: Banking the Unbanked in South Africa http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SKhCYoF0Lg
- Airtel Money 60.mov http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGe5b1HZ94M
- M-PESA Mobile Money http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewJ-lpvWDEU
