Case Study: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation expands last-mile digital financial access with IDEO

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation reaches 34M underserved users with IDEO

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation partnered with IDEO to address the challenge of connecting over 1.3 billion underserved and unbanked people in poor, rural areas to the modern digital economy. These populations relied on insecure and expensive informal financial tools, and traditional financial services providers struggled to reach them with inclusively designed products and scalable distribution models.

IDEO implemented the Last Mile Money (LMM) program, a comprehensive innovation initiative that took a collaborative, ecosystem approach. Working with over 70 partners, IDEO helped design and launch more than 100 inclusive digital financial services and products tailored to local needs. The results were significant, positively impacting 34 million users by providing them with access to digital credit, government benefits, and other financial tools that helped unlock billions of dollars in value and lift people out of poverty.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation