wmmaurer
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COMMENT|Bill Maurer|Microlinks Group DiscussionThu, December 1, 2011 15:17
Someone correct me if I am wrong, but the distinction then does hinge on whether what is being transferred is "money" or what is being transferred is "e-value", the latter implying one or a series of intermediaries converting money into credits and back again. The EU E-Money Directive makes the...
COMMENT|Bill Maurer|Microlinks Group DiscussionThu, December 1, 2011 12:21
Maria, could you clarify the distinction for us? Are you pointing out the distinction between the conversion of a national currency into e-value or, say, airtime or something like Facebook credits, the transfer of e-value, airtime or credits via mobile, and its re-conversion back into currency,...
COMMENT|Bill Maurer|Microlinks Group DiscussionTue, November 29, 2011 17:53
Indeed! We forget, too, that M-PESA has only been around in its current form since 2007 and yet we expect immediate, beneficial transformation. I always think about how long it took to eliminate non-par banking and establish the modern paper check system in the US, by comparison -- the Fed's...
COMMENT|Bill Maurer|Microlinks Group DiscussionTue, November 29, 2011 13:14
This makes me think, too, of the question of whether having an electronic payments system can also help facilitate better governance by, say, making graft or skimming off the top more difficult, because more traceable. Just a thought!
COMMENT|Bill Maurer|Microlinks Group DiscussionTue, November 29, 2011 12:44
Maria's comments get at the fundamental issue of a country's capacity to monitor, assess and intervene where necessary to ensure financial system integrity. This is a much bigger issue than facilitating the mobile channel for financial services, and gets at some big questions about the need for...
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