Mobile Money Summit 2009: Accelerating the Development of Mobile Money Ecosystems

This report explores key evolving themes in the mobile money space, seeking to consolidate promising practices and examine critical challenges. It was written on the occasion of the second annual Mobile Money Summit, held on June 23-24, 2009 in Barcelona, Spain. The report takes stock of the industry since the inaugural Mobile Money Summit held in May 2008 in Cairo, Egypt. The report discusses three key components - utility, capacity and an enabling environment, that play an important role in the development of the mobile money ecosystem. It also considers certain key questions:

• How has the mobile money industry matured in the last twelve months?
• What promising practices have emerged?
• What are the persistent or newly emerging challenges in advancing mobile money ecosystems?

The report concludes that advancing mobile money ecosystems will enable the industry to reach critical mass and fulfill its potential as an instrument of poverty alleviation. Mobile money providers will need to continue learning about their consumers, especially in previously unbanked segments, pay attention to the business drivers for greater collaboration and deepen the dialogue with governments to create enabling environments for growth.