MEDA is working on the cutting edge of using technology to bring financial services to the 2.5 billion people worldwide that are currently unbanked. Read here about our projects in Zambia, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Afghanistan and what we're learning about leveraging mobile phones, prepaid cards, and vouchers to promote client-focused product innovation.

1. MEDA |Technology for Financial Inclusion
April 2013
www.meda.org | @MEDA_IRF

2. Agenda and Contact Information
2
Contact Us Agenda
Chrissy Martin  MEDA Overview
cmartin@MEDA.org
 Technical Expertise
Nicole Pasricha  Product Innovation
npasricha@MEDA.org
 Institutional Capacity Building
online:
 Research and Knowledge Sharing
BranchlessBanking.co
Twitter:
@MEDA_IRF
Photos Credited to MEDA, unless otherwise noted

3. MEDA Overview
• MEDA History
• Technology as a Cross-
Cutting Solution

4. MEDA History
MEDA’s first investment was in 1953. Since that time MEDA has been designing and
implementing innovative and effective market-driven economic development
programs that improve the welfare of millions of people around the world.
As a leading-edge risk taker in financial services and market development, we
collaboratively create business solutions to poverty by working in partnership
with the poor, and the institutions that serve them. 4

5. Technology as a Cross-Cutting Solution
MEDA has 6 Areas of Focus, which are defined by our technical expertise and knowledge of specific customer
segments. We believe that technology can improve service delivery across all 6 areas. As project managers,
we are leveraging mobile phones, electronic vouchers, and payment cards to more efficiently and effectively
bring business solutions to poverty to unbanked and rural populations, especially women and youth.
Agriculture Health Savings Youth
Women Inclusive
Rural
Finance

6. Technical Expertise
• Product Innovation
• Institutional Capacity Building
• Research and Knowledge Sharing

7. Product Innovation

8. Product Innovation
MEDA’s service application approach (rather than a product led approach) recognizes that institutions must take
a holistic, user-centric approach to product design and innovation in order to target specific consumer groups.
To achieve this, we focus on demand-side market research & building capacity of financial service providers.
Related Projects What we’re learning
Sogebank Branchless Banking Project, Haiti  Scale still comes from creative, demand-drive
 In partnership with OpenRev and IFC, MEDA is supporting product development, starting with human-
Sogebank, the largest commercial bank in Haiti, in developing
centered market research to understand
a agent-based branchless banking product designed
specifically for customers with low-balance savings accounts. customers..
 We are working directly with Sogebank staff to conduct  Products must be thought of as services, with a
market research, map processes and procedures, conduct
focus on the end-user and how the service fits
testing and prototyping of new pre-paid cards, and pilot the
product to prepare for nationwide launch. into their everyday life and current economic
E-Payments for Agriculture, Zambia relationships (formal and informal.)
 MEDA is working with Zoona (formerly Mobile Transactions  Mobile money ecosystems are developed by
Zambia) an independent mobile payments provider that does creating linkages around specific user groups, in
not fit the telco-led or bank-led model.
order that customers can conveniently receive
Together, we piloted and scaled a voucher product with the

cotton buying company Dunavant. The product provides a
and spend money using the same system, such
service to smallholder famers to manage their income while as linked suppliers and customers in a value
attracting more money into the Zoona e-money system and chain.
educating a new potential customer group about the benefits
mobile money.

9. Photo Credit: World Bank
Institutional Capacity Building

10. Institutional Capacity Building
We are working with financial institutions to undergo operational and institutional changes necessary to take
advantage of the potential cost savings and efficiencies from leveraging mobile and card-based solutions, and
to move beyond money transfers to sophisticated, technology-enabled financial services for the poor.
Related Projects What we’re learning
Savings Promotion for Loan Clients, Nicaragua  Despite the convenience of mobile money
 MEDA launched MiCrédito in 2004, and is now helping the products, institutions cannot bypass basic
newly independent MFI to expand outreach quickly through
product development processes including risk
branchless banking. We are assisting with the development of
mulitple strategies, including a partnership with BAC, a assessment and documentation of operational
commercial bank, to provide debit cards and savings accounts work flows.
to MiCrédito’s loan clients.
 Agent networks are critical to any branchless
Mutahid Mobile Money Strategy Development, Afghanistan
banking project and require on-going training,
 MEDA integrated mobile money into a larger Risk Assessment
conducted with Muthahid Microfinance Institution, in order to structured incentives, and monitoring of
ensure that mobile repayments of loans will reduce risk of transactions for potential fraud.
fraud and provide convenience to customers.
 Real-time collection of data through mobile
Technolinks for Financial Services, Zambia
devices and flexible Business Intelligence (BI)
We improved Zoona’s Business Intelligence capacity by

supporting the use of QlikView and helping to design flexible,
software allows management to understand
on-demand reporting tools for Zoona managers and investors. clients and continually improve products.
 We re-conceptualized the Zoona agent training program,
adding incentives and producing videos for continual, on-
demand learning to improve agent performance.

11. Research and Knowledge Sharing

12. Research and Knowledge Sharing
MEDA is committed to supporting the efforts of our partners to research and disseminate knowledge on best
practices for the use of technology for financial inclusion. We are also committed to sharing lessons learned in
our own projects, from both our successes and our failures. Below, find a limited sample of these activities.
Related Projects Knowledge Sharing Activities
Research for USAID Support to the Better Than Cash Alliance Technolinks for Financial Services Website
 MEDA conducted 2 mobile payments assessments, with USAID  All case studies and resources from our Technolinks project in
and NetHope, for USAID Missions in Uganda and Tanzania to Nicaragua and Zambia are posted on our Knowledge
show how implementing partners can benefit from a switch to Management project site, BranchlessBanking.co, which also
mobile payments for per diems and field staff payments. includes a blog for continuous updates from the field.
 In addition to conducting in-country workshops, MEDA helped NetHope Payments Innovations Working Group
to design two new tools for Missions and their partners: a
 MEDA is the co-chair of the USAID/NetHope Payment
Cost-Benefit Analysis Tool for mobile payments and the USAID
Innovations Working Group, which provides a knowledge
Financial Documentation Tool for Mobile Payments.
sharing opportunity for 10 international NGO members to
Payments for Progress Documentary Film on G2P Payments learn more about electronic payments and develop tangible
tools that the members can use in their programs
 MEDA designed and produced a 15-minute documentary film
for the World Bank on the evolution of payment systems using TechChange e-Course on Mobiles for Development
technology for G2P cash transfers, and the impact of the
 MEDA helped to design and moderate 2 online courses on
payments on financial inclusion for the ultra-poor in Pakistan.
‘Mobile for Development’, reaching over 70 development
 We also produced knowledge sharing products, including practitioners from 30 countries for TechChange, an
client stories and infographics, for dissemination to the wider organization specialized in training development professionals
public. on the use of technology. For more, www.TechChange.org.