[ By Rajnish Tiwari and Stephan Buse ]

Mobile Banking is fast gaining popularity, interestingly enough, not only in industrialized countries but also in emerging- and even in poor, "third-world" countries. Not surprising, for in countries with low PC- and Internet penetration the mobile phone is often the only medium available for electronic form of banking. The electronic form is however extremely useful in developing countries, where the number of bank branches, particularly in rural areas where most people live, is low, ATM are rare and in cities long traffic jams cost much time going personally to the bank.

In industrialized countries Mobile Banking is sought primarily by well-earning professionals who often need to be on the move. Therefore their demand for Mobile Financial Services (MFS) has a quite different, strategic aspect in comparison to the demand for MFS in developing countries.

In a "permanent" project we continuosly observe and analyze worldwide developments in the field of Mobile Banking. Special attention is paid to following to "reference markets", which on account of their various poistions have a strategic relevance for industry players in this fied. Following markets, either owing to their affinity to MFS or owing to their (increasing) economic power, are treated as "reference markets":

• China
• Germany
• India
• South Korea
• Group of industrialized countries
• Group of developing countries

For further information:
Rajnish Tiwari / Dr. Stephan Buse
Tel: +49 - (0)40 - 428 78 - 39 51 / 38 29
rajnish.tiwari@tuhh.de / stephan.buse@tuhh.de