24 take off, the rules that govern the documentation needed to open a basic mobile money account should reflect what low-income people can actually produce without undue burden. In Egypt, mobile money providers require customers to have national IDs or passports to open an account, which limits access, particularly for women. Ì Ì Recognize the unique needs of women clients: In Egypt, women are more likely to have lower-end phones, less access to identification documents and lower levels of literacy. In addition, they may be reluctant to share information or seek assistance regarding a financial transaction from a male agent. Providers who are serious about expanding access to low-income people and not exacerbating the gender gap will need to consider contextually appropriate marketing, having more female agents, and other tactics to encourage and enable account usage by women. All four of these things are important; none is impossible, as experiences in other countries around the world have borne out. We believe that Egypt is poised to be the “next big thing” for digital financial services, much like a movie star who becomes an “overnight sensation” after years of good work in small roles. The time is ripe—ingenuity, innovation and opportunity are in abundance among the large number of startups—and they are ready for their close-ups. View the original article on NextBillion