Global Landscape: Data Trails of Digitally Included Poor (DIP) People

Many low-income people generate rich data trails that are not being fully leveraged in the design and delivery of financial services. This reading deck puts a spotlight on the specific data trails generated by digitally included yet poor people, the sources of these data trails, and variations of data trails across different segmentations.

Highlights:

• Digitally included poor (DIP) people that are defined as adults (>15) in low- and middle-income countries, earning under $5.5/day (PPP adjusted), with ownership or access to a phone are a growing segment.
• Data trails vary considerably across countries--thus, context matters.
• Gender differences exist in digital access and, as a result, in the generation of data trails.
• Telecom data (data on airtime top-ups, P2P transactions) is the most widely available digital data trail of DIP people but there are other important sources of data being generated.
• While smartphone users generate a very small data footprint in low- and middle-income markets, there are some patterns in the types of data trails they generate.
• DIP people are currently being underserved by financial institutions, and this could be addressed by leveraging their digital data.