NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Mike McCaffrey specializes in designing sustainable, demand-driven financial services for the poor. He started his career in rural Bolivia as a microenterprise volunteer for the Peace Corps. Afterwards, he joined Innovations for Poverty Action, advising leading microfinance organizations like Pro Mujer on how to improve products and services.

Subsequently, he moved to the Fiji Islands to serve as the financial inclusion technical specialist for the United Nations South Pacific regional initiative. There, he supported the development of mobile money networks in seven countries, including: (1) consulting Central Banks on regulatory policy, (2) supporting banks and mobile network operators develop new products, and (3) conducting national market demand studies.

He currently lives in Nairobi, Kenya, heading a regional program on digital financial services for MicroSave. The focus of his work is determining how digital financial services for the poor can be better designed, and more easily scaled to national levels. The includes managing the Agent Network Accelerator (ANA) project, and The Helix Institute of Digital Finance.

Mike attended the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, receiving a master’s degree in development economics & a graduate certificate in science, technology & environmental policy. He also holds B.A. degrees in economics & psychology from the University of California.

Annabel is a marketing and communication manager focusing on digital financial services atMicroSave. She has over four years of international experience, designing and implementing marketing, communications and branding strategies for multinational FMCG companies. She is now based in Kenya, where she led the launch of several local brands before joiningMicroSave. AtMicroSave, Annabel has spearheaded the brand development, marketing and communications of TheHelixInstitute of Digital Finance (www.helix-institute.com), providing world-class training and cutting-edge insights to digital financial service providers. Annabel is currently applying her core strengths in communications strategy, to supporting bank and telecom providers to better tactics like below-the-line marketing, and building perceptions of trust with mass market products.