This week we’re blogging from Barcelona, site of the Mobile World Congress. Today is the second full day of focus on mobile money, where the GSMA’s Mobile Money for the Unbanked working group convenes market players to compare notes. CGAP Microfinance Specialist Mark Pickens is presenting the latest work we’ve been doing on agents.

• Download the presentation comparing agents in Brazil and Kenya

Industry actors say their biggest unknown is how to build a viable network of branchless banking agents. Over the next 3 months, CGAP’s Technology Program will analyze agents in 3 reference countries (Brazil, India and Kenya). Because this area is so new, we will be out in the field ourselves talking to agents, network managers and banks.

We’ve already begun in Brazil, where CGAP is partnering with The Center for Microfinance Studies at FGV (Fundação Getulio Vargas), the leading Brazilian business school. Planet Finance Brazil is also a partner in the field research. Data was gathered on 295 agents, 49 of which were interviewed in-person. Read more about this collaboration.

-Mark Pickens

Next: A round-up of mobile banking developments from the Mobile World Congress.