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Field
Trial Start Date
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Before
June 01, 2019
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After
April 12, 2021
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Field
Trial End Date
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Before
December 31, 2020
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After
December 31, 2021
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Field
Last Published
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Before
March 15, 2019 10:49 AM
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After
March 18, 2021 07:32 PM
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Field
Intervention (Public)
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Before
Our intervention is digital repayment for microfinance. Specifically, under our intervention, microfinance group members may be randomly assigned to repay their loans digitally using mobile money, rather than with cash.
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After
In this study, we test the effects of borrowers switching to mobile money-based repayment for microfinance loans.
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Field
Intervention Start Date
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Before
June 01, 2019
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After
May 01, 2021
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Field
Intervention End Date
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Before
December 31, 2020
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After
December 31, 2021
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Field
Primary Outcomes (End Points)
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Before
Our key outcomes of interest are initial take-up of digital finance, effects of digital repayment on business, social and health outcomes for borrowers, and effects of digital repayment on participation in microfinance.
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After
Our key outcomes of interest are initial take-up of digital finance, effects of digital repayment on business, social and familial outcomes for borrowers, and effects of digital repayment on participation and repayment success in microfinance.
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Field
Experimental Design (Public)
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Before
We randomly divide microfinance groups into three category to test the effects of digital repayment on microfinance: a control group that still repays with cash, an individual choice group where individual borrowers are each allowed to opt in or out of digital repayment, and a digital repayment group where all borrowers in that group are asked to repay digitally. The randomization is done at the microfinance group-level.
We also experimentally vary whether giving groups are given a receipt which explicitly confirms their payment to BRAC microfinance on a given date increases use of and confidence in the digital repayment system.
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After
We randomly divide microfinance groups into three category to test the effects of digital repayment on microfinance: a control group that still repays with cash, an individual choice group where individual borrowers are each allowed to opt in or out of digital repayment, and a digital repayment group where all borrowers in that group are asked to repay digitally. The randomization is done at the microfinance group-level.
As well, we embed a baseline experiment which randomly varies the motivation to complete a practice deposit in the same account which will be used for mobile repayment, testing whether practice increases the likelihood of uptake.
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Field
Planned Number of Clusters
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Before
600 microfinance groups
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After
750 microfinance groups
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Field
Planned Number of Observations
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Before
12,000 microfinance clients
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After
11,000 microfinance clients
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Field
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
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Before
Cross-randomized: 200 groups control, 200 groups individual choice, 200 groups digital repayment; across those, 300 groups will receive a generic receipt, and 300 will receive a BRAC-receipt
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After
Group-level randomization: 250 groups control, 250 groups individual choice, 250 groups digital repayment
Embedded in the baseline, we will do individual-level variation of the intensity of encouragement for a practice deposit.
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Field
Did you obtain IRB approval for this study?
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Before
No
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After
Yes
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