Adopting Mobile Money: Evidence from an Experiment in Rural Africa

Arbeitspapier

Who uses mobile money? What is mobile money used for? This paper describes the mobile money adoption patterns following the experimental introduction of mobile money for the first time in rural areas of Southern Mozambique. We use a combination of administrative and household survey data to characterize early and late adopters, as well as their mobile money usage patterns during the three years after mobile money was introduced. We find that a large proportion of the individuals who were offered mobile money services actively adopted this technology. Adopters of mobile money (and early adopters in particular) are more educated than non-adopters, and they are also more likely to already hold a bank account. Positive self-selection of mobile money adopters raises questions about the effectiveness of mobile money as a tool for financial inclusion.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 12934

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Economic Development: Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance ; Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes ; Financial Institutions and Services: General
• Subject: financial deepening ; financial inclusion ; self-selection ; technology adoption ; mobile money ; fintech ; Mozambique ; Africa

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Batista, Catia ; Vicente, Pedro C.
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2020

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/215330
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET