Terrific leader in the Economist and longer "special report" about mobile financial systems like Kenya's M-PESA, which are transforming the way people save, use, and transport money in poor countries.

So much for the "non-generative" mobile phone! M-PESA and others put to shame those who think that we won't be able to provide ICT value in poor countries until everyone has an iPhone or other high-end phone. I, on the other hand, am sure those phones are coming but believe we have a tremendous opportunity to create great functionality even with "low-end" systems using SMS and other ubiquitous technologies.

Message to developers: stop waiting for easier systems for you to work with, and start developing for the systems that already exist.

[photo credit: The Economist]