http://www.catchtalk.tv/events/gfia2014/videos/lesley-deynes-programme-director-mercy-corps

1. LESLEY
DENYES
PROGRAMME
DIRECTOR
MERCY
CORPS

2. 35
3-4 February 2014
Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture, Abu Dhabi
Lesley Denyes, Agri-Fin Mobile Program Director

3. Mercy Corps
Presentation Overview
Part 1: About Mercy Corps
Part 2: About Agri-Fin Mobile
Part 5: Challenges and Future Trends

4. Part 1: About Mercy Corps
35

5. Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is an international development agency
working amid disasters, conflicts, chronic poverty and
instability, activating untapped human potential to
create lasting change.
Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1.5 billion in
assistance to people in 106 nations. Supported by
headquarters in North America and Europe, the
agency’s global programs employ 4,500 staff
worldwide and reach 19 million people in more than
40 countries.
An Overview

6. Mercy Corps
Where we work

7. Sectors of Engagement
Agriculture & Food
Security
Civil Society, Conflict &
Peace building
Climate/Environment &
Energy Poverty
Democracy &
Governance
Disaster Risk Reduction
Economic & Market
Development
Education
Emergency: Food & Non-
Food Distribution, Shelter,
Water/Sanitation, Food &
Commodity Management,
Material Aid
Financial Inclusion: literacy,
microfinance, insurance,
franchising, branchless
Gender, Women & Girls
Health: Child Survival;
Community Health, Health
Services Delivery, HIV/AIDS,
Nutrition, Psychosocial,
Reproductive,
Infrastructure Rehabilitation
Refugees/IDPs/Returnees
Social Innovations: social
enterprise, technology,
partnerships
Sustainable Resource
Management
Youth employment,
enterprise & skills training
Water/Sanitation
Mercy Corps
*Financial Services active in 22 countries with equity in16 banks/MFIs
MFIs

8. Mercy Corps
Financial Services:
Active in 22 countries; has equity in 16 banks and MFIs

9. Mobile Mer cPyh oCneo Prpense tration
M-banking Programming
PHILIPPINES: Bank, Telco, MFI partnership model converting
ewallets to mobile bank accounts and expanding service to
unbanked (Gates Foundation)
INDONESIA: Wholesale Bank provides technology and product
platform for thousands of MFIs to expand service to millions
of poor clients through POS/mobile (Gates Foundation)
HAITI: Bank & MNO partnership to provide cash-for-work post-disaster
to thousands of earthquake victims
UGANDA: Working with mobile network operators to do ag
value chain payments
ZIMBABWE: Developing mobile savings, loans and insurance
with leading operator

10. Mercy Corps
Focus on Mobile Banking
Worldwide, m-banking is beginning to deliver affordable
financial services to millions of the world’s poor by:
• Lowering cost of access
• Increasing range of services
• Helping provide financial identity, control
• Extending branchless banking network to
underserved areas – rural and low income
• Reducing fraud
Has strong potential in countries with
limited banking infrastructure, and high cell
phone penetration

11. Mercy Corps
Financial Inclusion Approach
CREDIT
• Short-term enterprise and farm loans
• Group-based lending
• Buyer and supplier credit
• Agriculture-specific loans (long-term
investment loans, lending against
warehouse receipts)
SAVINGS
• Passbook accounts
• Time deposits
• Purposeful savings,
e.g. retirement,
housing
INSURANCE
• Life insurance
• Health insurance
• Crop insurance
LEASING
REMITTANCES
PAYMENTS & TRANSFERS
Delivered through highly accessible client touch points (ATM, mobile,
agents) based on the key consumer protection principles.

12. Part 2: About Agri-Fin Mobile
35

13. Agri-Fin Mobile
The SDC Grant
SDC funded project to improve incomes of smallholder farmers
(SHF) through scalable & sustainable business models
Phase 1: 3 countries, 3 years, $2.8m, 180,000 SHF
Phase 2: 8 countries, 2 years, $3m, 1m SHF
Funding supports:
• Research & Product Development
• Application & Interfacing Development
• Lessons Learned Sharing & Dissemination
• Open sub-grants for partner support
Supported by: Partner in-kind contributions, MC programs

14. Bundling Mobile Apps & Financial
Services for Smallholder Farmers
The Agri-Fin Mobile
Program facilitates
sustainable shared
business models
between app
providers and banks
reaching small
holder farmers
through
development,
integration and
implementation
processes to provide
a win/win/win of
access to market,
technical and
financial services.
Agri-Fin Mobile

15. Agri-Agri-Fin Fin Mobile: Mobile Uganda
UGANDA
Mobile Bundling Approach:
Improved Access “Bundled Services”

16. What Does This Mean for Farmers?
Agri-Fin Mobile

17. 1. Identify Primary Commodities
2. Value Chain Analysis
3. Product Development Research
4. Partner Formalization
5. Application Development & Interface
6. Training & Implementation
Agri-Fin Mobile
Methodology

18. Agri-Fin Mobile
The Ecosystem Approach
Each ecosystem requires…
ü MNOs
ü Financial Institutions
ü Platforms
ü Content Providers
ü Channels to Small Holder Farmers
ü Supporting Organizations
… to build a comprehensive suite of
services & operational business model.

19. 35 Part 5: Challenges & Future Trends

20. Mobile Phone Penetration
New Models in Digital Financial Inclusion
What Works & Future Trends
ü Agri-Fin Mobile reaching over 140,000 farmers in 3
countries
ü Seeing measurable impact of applications
ü Driving commercial relationship with banks & MNOs
ü Buyer records used for credit scoring
ü Mobile being used throughout the value chain
ü Bundle with financial services off-sets costs for
information

21. Thank you for your time &
your support of our work!
35
Contact us:
Lesley Denyes, ldenyes@field.mercycorps.org