Increasing Mobile Banking Use Among Rural Populations In Ghana

This project examines how to boost mobile banking adoption among rural communities with limited access to formal financial services. In partnership with a major Ghanaian bank and mobile network operator, researchers worked with 115 microfinance groups to test the impact of individual financial incentives and peer endorsements, offered separately on mobile banking uptake. Results show that individual incentives increased adoption by 50 percent, while combining them with trusted peer endorsements doubled uptake. Peer influence also strengthened confidence in managing fraud risks and encouraged group discussions about digital finance. Six months after rollout, participants’ savings in linked accounts rose by 30 percent.