What Kenya can teach its neighbors — and the US — about improving the lives of the “unbanked”

A dollar sign forms one of the columns of a stately building

From Kelsey Piper / Vox: Mobile banking in Kenya has increased economic mobility for families living in poverty. The mobile money system is not connected to bank accounts, making it accessible to the overwhelming majority of Kenyans who don’t have bank accounts but do have cell phones. Mobile banking allows deposits and withdrawals as well as transfers, and has allowed families to save money to use when their income, often from farming, takes a hit thus creating a security net for themselves and allowing them to receive funds from friends and family. Savings allow families to meet basic needs and access medical care if necessary.

Read the original story here.

Read more articles about increased economic mobility.

More Resources:

Ayomide Fatunde is a Global Council member at WEAll. She is a Nigerian-American Regenerative Specialist with cross-cutting interests that span from battery thermal management to esotericism, skipping over to post-growth economics and then looping around to database architecture before taking...

Karina Viquez is the Program Director of the Certificate in Regenerative Entrepreneurship at the University for International Cooperation (UCI) in Costa Rica. She has over 10 years of experience playing key roles in impact learning, regenerative program design, development project...

From Domantė Platūkytė / LRT: A company in Lithuania cut back the work day from eight to six hours and noted an increase in morale without any negative impact on productivity. Employees reported a better work-life balance, reducing their stress...

From The Nation: A guaranteed income program in Nigeria is helping recipients build businesses, expand existing ones, and build equity. Click here to read the original story. Read more original stories on income programs.

...

Linda Shi is an assistant professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University. Her research concerns how to plan for urban climate adaptation in ways that improve environmental sustainability and social justice. She studies how aspects...

From Diane Berard / Future of Good: Novia Scotia, Canada, created community economic development investment funds with a 35% tax credit to investors to help small businesses that need capital but don’t qualify for bank loans. The cooperative FarmWorks brings...

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By continuing to browse, you agree to our use of cookies. For more details, please see our Privacy Policy.