GSMA report highlights that global mobile money accounts are growing at an annual rate of 20%

In 2018, the global mobile money industry handled $1.3 billion in transactions per day.

The GSMA recently released its eighth annual State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money, which gives an overview of the current Mobile Money landscape and highlights the impact of wider financial inclusion on life, the economy and innovation, particularly in emerging markets.




The State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money provides a comprehensive overview of the prevalence and use of Mobile Money around the world.

As at the end of 2018, more than 866 million accounts were registered in 90 countries, an increase of 20% over 2017.

The report also shows that in 2018, the mobile Money industry processed trading volume of $1.3 billion, and the value of digital transactions grew at a rate of more than twice times the cash transaction rate, indicating a decline in the importance of cash to customer life.

Mats Granryd, President of the GSMA, said: “our research shows that mobile money has tangible and widespread benefits for the world’s most vulnerable people. Throughout 2018, the GSMA has continued to provide support to operators, helping them attract customers who used to have little access to the services offered by the financial system. Against the backdrop of increasing Internet access and smartphone penetration, the mobile money industry is growing rapidly, and the unparalleled global scale of the mobile industry now offers greater opportunities than ever to reach the 1.7 billion people who still do not have access to financial services. “