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Increasing mobile banking use among rural populations in Ghana

Last registered on September 29, 2021
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Increasing mobile banking use among rural populations in Ghana
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0007298
Initial registration date
March 04, 2021

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
March 04, 2021, 10:05 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
September 29, 2021, 5:41 PM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
Ghana
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Emma Riley
Affiliation
University of Michigan
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Abu Shonchoy
PI Affiliation
Florida International University
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Robert Darko-Osei
PI Affiliation
University of Ghana
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2021-03-30
End date
2022-02-28
Keywords
Finance & Microfinance, Firms & Productivity, Gender
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Mobile money services have accelerated progress in global financial inclusion. However, a majority of mobile money customers perceive it just as a money transfer instrument and do not make use of features such as storing money for future needs – which could particularly be useful for remote, rural populations. Integrating banking access into mobile money services – mobile banking combines the perceived safety and security of a bank account with the deep reach into rural villages through mobile money services. In this study, we aim to test ways of informing rural women in Ghana about the capabilities of recently introduced mobile banking services, along with incentivising them to adopt and use mobile banking service. We will examine the impact of different information channels and incentives on knowledge, take-up, and usage of mobile banking.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Darko-Osei, Robert, Emma Riley and Abu Shonchoy. 2021. "Increasing mobile banking use among rural populations in Ghana." AEA RCT Registry. September 29. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.7298-7.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We will test three different modes of providing information, training and incentives on mobile banking to the existing banking clients to assess their knowledge, take-up, and usage of the mobile banking platform. We will also compare different ways to provide information and different monetary incentives in encouraging the adoption of mobile banking services. We plan a cluster randomization design with 128 microfinance groups located in rural communities equally distributed into four control/treatment arms (32 communities under each arm). The details of the interventions are as follows:

1. Control group (C): Clients in this group will not receive any encouragement to use mobile banking. However, they continue to be free to use it.

2. Personal incentive (T1): Clients in this group will receive a one-time small monetary incentive if they carry out a mobile banking transaction (withdrawal or deposit to/from the account) within one month of the intervention.

3. Peer-led training + Peer incentive + Personal incentive (T2): The microfinance group leader will be trained to use mobile banking. The group leader would then be asked to train the rest of her microfinance group members on mobile banking. The group leader (trainer) would also receive an incentive for each member (trainee) of her microfinance group who completed a mobile banking transaction (deposit to a bank account or withdrawal from a bank account). Each member of the microfinance group, would receive an individual monetary incentive, like T1 above, if they carry out a mobile banking transaction (withdrawal or deposit to/from their accounts) within a month of intervention.

4. Peer-led training+ consumer protection training + peer incentive + personal incentive (T3): The microfinance group leader will be trained to use mobile banking and also receive a training covering consumer protection and fraud awareness. The group leader would then be asked to train the rest of her microfinance group members on mobile banking and consumer protection. The group leader (trainer) would also receive an incentive for each member (trainee) of her microfinance group who completed a mobile banking transaction (deposit to a bank account or withdrawal from a bank account). Each member of the microfinance group, would receive an individual monetary incentive, like T1 above, if they carry out a mobile banking transaction (withdrawal or deposit to/from their accounts) within a month of intervention.
Intervention Start Date
2021-05-20
Intervention End Date
2021-07-09

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The final list of outcomes that will be analysed will be defined in a pre-analysis plan and the pre-analysis plan will be lodged before the research team receives or analyses the endline data. The primary outcomes will include measures of the following:
• Information retention and understanding of how to use mobile banking.
• Trust in and perceptions around mobile banking services and OISL.
• Willingness to pay to use mobile banking services (versus go to a bank).
• The value placed on different dimensions of banking services, including; the cost of transactions, range of services offered, interaction with banking staff, perceptions of safety, trust and convenience.
• Sign up of customers to use OISL mobile banking services. (high-frequency admin data)
• Number and size of mobile banking transactions and saving account balance. (high-frequency admin data)
• Total savings of all types

These outcomes will be disaggregated by gender, so we can ensure we are able to increase knowledge and use of mobile banking services amongst women in particular.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study is a clustered randomised control trial that examines different modes of promoting mobile banking use among women who are microfinance loan clients for a mobile banking service provider in Ghana. As such, 128 microfinance groups will be randomly allocated to a study treatment arm. There will be 32 groups in each treatment arm and approximately 5 women per group. Participants will receive the intervention information appropriate to the arm they are assigned to. Mobile banking admin data from baseline and then subsequent months will be shared with the research team. Participant account activity will be monitored for the month following the intervention. In the treatment arms, the data will be used to determine whether the participant’s activity has met the criteria for an incentive payment to be paid. At endline, those in the treatment conditions who have met the criteria will receive the corresponding incentive payment. At endline, participants will be surveyed in addition to having their admin data analysed.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomisation to treatment arm will be done using the STATA statistical software. The randomisation procedure will be documented such that it can be reproduced if necessary.
Randomization Unit
microfinance groups
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
128 microfinance groups
Sample size: planned number of observations
512 microfinance clients (4 per group)
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
32 microfinance groups (clusters) per treatment arm
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Oxford University Department of Economics Research Ethics Board
IRB Approval Date
2021-01-21
IRB Approval Number
ECONCIA21-22-06
Analysis Plan

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Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
June 30, 2021, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
August 31, 2021, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
115
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
407
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
27 groups in control (C) - 114 women 29 groups in Incentive (T1) - 99 women 59 groups in Endorsement (T2) - 194 women
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
No
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials