Kenya's Mobile Revolution and the Promise of Mobile Savings

Demombynes, Gabriel ; Thegeya, Aaron

关键词: ACCOUNTING;    BANK ACCOUNT;    BANK ACCOUNTS;    BANK BRANCHES;    BANKING SERVICES;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-5988
RP-ID  :  WPS5988

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

The mobile revolution has transformedthe lives of Kenyans, providing not just communications butalso basic financial access in the form of phone-based moneytransfer and storage, led by the M-PESA system introduced in2007. Currently, 93 percent of Kenyans are mobile phoneusers and 73 percent are mobile money customers.Additionally, 23 percent use mobile money at least once aday. New potential for mobile money has come with the riseof interest-earning bank-integrated mobile savings systems,beginning with the launch of the M-KESHO system in March2010. The authors examine the mobile savings phenomenon,using data collected in a special survey in late 2010. Theyshow that the usage of bank-integrated mobile savingssystems like M-KESHO remains limited and largely restrictedto better-off Kenyans. However, what the authors term"basic mobile savings" -- the use of simple mobilemoney systems as a repository for funds -- is widespread,including among those who are otherwise unlikely to have anysavings. Holding other characteristics constant, those whoare registered for M-PESA are 32 percent more likely toreport having some savings.