There are 4.6 billion mobile phones in the world today, according to Market Platform Dynamics’ Margaret Weichert, and that number is increasing rapidly. Whether it is Senegal, Kenya or India, when people talk about bringing financial services to people in lesser developed countries, the mobile phone seems to be right at the center.
Ignacio and Margaret analyze mobile and other possible solutions to the financial inclusion challenge in this exclusive NEXTcast interview, moderated by industry expert David S. Evans.
Executive Bios
Ignacio Mas is Deputy Director in the Financial Services for the Poor program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Ignacio has been a Senior Adviser in the Technology Program at CGAP (a resource center for microfinance housed at the World Bank), VP of Marketing and Account Management at interTouch, Director of Global Business Strategy at Vodafone Group, and Senior Manager responsible for telecoms investments in Europe at Intel Capital (Intel Corp’s venture capital arm). Ignacio has been a Visiting Professor of International Business at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago. He holds undergraduate degrees in mathematics and economics from MIT and a PhD in economics from Harvard University.
Margaret Weichert is a Managing Director at Market Platform Dynamics. An acknowledged leader and innovator in payments and financial technology, Margaret has received seven U.S. patents. An entrepreneur who has started two of her own companies and sold one to First Data, Margaret has proven experience commercializing game-changing technologies. Prior to joining Market Platform Dynamics, Margaret was the SVP, Global Product Marketing at First Data, responsible for marketing all Retail and Alliance Services products. Margaret holds a B.S, Magna Cum Laude from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, where she focused on International Politics and Economics. Margaret received a Postgraduate Diploma in Economics (with Distinction) from the University of Sussex in England, and a M.B.A. in Finance from the University of California at Berkeley.
