GSMA Inclusive Tech Lab

In developed and developing markets alike, societies are becoming increasingly digital, and technological innovations are emerging at an ever increasing rate. The mobile money industry is now fast evolving against a backdrop of increased internet access and smartphone adoption, the arrival of new tech players, and consumers’ changing expectations around digital access to financial and other services. At GSMA Mobile for Development (M4D), we see this as a tremendous opportunity. With its unparalleled global reach, the mobile industry is uniquely positioned to drive the technologies that will shape the future of financial and digital inclusion. For these digital innovations to have real and long-standing impact, it is incumbent on our industry to ensure scalability, cross-sector collaboration, and industry standardisation.

The GSMA Inclusive Tech Lab is a dedicated facility that has been set up to support our industry with inclusive innovations and take a hands-on approach to research, test and develop the inclusive technologies of the future. By focusing on research, innovation projects and developing industry assets, the Lab will aim to produce thought leadership, proofs of concepts / MVPs / prototypes, and test environments that will aid and assist the ongoing evolution of the mobile industry. The Lab is a collaborative initiative: Whether it is to do with digital identity; the availability of credit and insurance; seamless integration between service providers and mobile money operators; merchant payments; interoperability; or the application of artificial intelligence to tailor services for women – the Lab is open to working with a wide range of stakeholders to further the digital and financial inclusion of the underserved.

If you are interested in collaborating with the Lab to work on these or other challenges, we would love to hear from you.