The Mobile Alternative to Banking: Patterns of Financial Transactions in Emerging Countries

Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Producer
Director
Performer
Choreographer
Costume Designer
Music
Videographer
Lighting Designer
Set Designer
Crew Member
Funder
Rehearsal Director
Concert Coordinator
Moderator
Panelist
Alternative Title
Department
Haverford College. Department of Economics
Type
Thesis
Original Format
Running Time
File Format
Place of Publication
Date Span
Copyright Date
Award
Language
eng
Note
Table of Contents
Terms of Use
Rights Holder
Access Restrictions
Open Access
Tripod URL
Identifier
Abstract
This paper explores patterns of financial transactions at the individual level in order to establish the effects of mobile money’s usage in a variety of country case examples. Data from the Financial Inclusion Insights program was analyzed for Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Uganda, to establish differences between individuals who use mobile money services and their non-user counterparts. This analysis builds on previous research into the household level effects of the widely popular M-PESA services in Kenya to see if financial transaction patterns can be replicated in other country data. Contrary to previous literature, m-money usership was not a consistent predictor of transaction frequency and transaction distance for the country cases where data was available. To examine m-money’s potential as a complement or substitute to formal banking, usage frequency of bank account services was regressed on m-money usership, which was interacted with personal bank account ownership. Findings suggest that m-money encouraged bank account usage in the country samples where m-money was less prevalent overall, and discouraged bank account usage in the country samples where it was more prevalent. Overall, this study finds considerable difference in the effects of mobile money by country, as well as discrepant effects when interacted with bank account ownership.
Description
Citation
Collections