Exploring the Mobile Money in the Financial Inclusion Landscape in Burundi: Impacts in Gender and Location Perspectives

Mobile money is a good example of the technological revolution through the digitalization of the banking system. However, the advantages offered by this new technological revolution has never been deeply explored with perspectives of existing gender and location gap in terms of financial inclusion. The present study explored the existence of policy/Regulations of Mobile Money in Burundi, the determinants of use of mobile phone and mobile money as well as the intensity of use of mobile money services and the mobile money usage impacts on gender and location perspectives on livelihood outcomes. The study used primary data collected in five different provinces. The study found that the mobile money ecosystem is governed by three different entities without a legal platform gathering them, moreover, the mobile money system is regulated by same text governing payment institutions. Furthermore, the access to electricity, alternative ways of recharge in case of lack of electricity and type of occupation of the household head were found to have a positive and significant influence on thrive, use of mobile phone, registration for mobile money and intensity of use of mobile money services. Education level, remittances, and location (urban vs rural) were found to have a positive and significant influence on both the registration and intensity of use of mobile money services. The study found also that the use of mobile money positively influences the quality of food consumption as well as the economic status proxied by wealth Index. No gender gap was found on food consumption for both wealth assets index and food consumption among the mobile money users. A significant gender gap was found both in wealth assets index and food consumption scores for mobile money non-users. A location food consumption gap was revealed for both mobile money users and non-users but with a significance skewed to mobile money nonusers households. A gap on location wealth assets was spotted out in favor of urban households for both mobile money users and non-users.