Embracing Payments as a Platform for the Future of Mobile Money

For over a decade, mobile money has been driving financial inclusion, opening access to digital transactions and giving people the tools to better manage their financial lives. With 690 million registered accounts across 90 countries at the end of 2017, mobile money has evolved into the leading payment platform for the digital economy in many emerging markets.

While mobile money has taken us a long way in a relatively short time, there is still much to be done to help close the digital divide and bring more people into the financial system; globally, 1.7 billion adults remain unbanked. Much work also remains in promoting greater use of digital financial services among those who have an account, to fully unlock the opportunities of financial inclusion.

This publication addresses the following key questions:

• How should the mobile money business model evolve to meet the changing needs of individuals and small businesses, and what is required to make this shift?
• Who will benefit from the ‘payments as a platform’ approach?