Cell phone–based money systems have been wildly successful in some countries like Kenya, while other places have ignored mobile money trials entirely. Why? To transact is universal, but how and why we transact is inherently local – new mobile money services require a foundational understanding of local consumer needs as well as deep knowledge of the regulatory environment and the right technology.

Last month a team from Myanmar-based Proximity Designs, design strategy consultancy frog and Studio D Radiodurans started a journey to map the changing financial landscape in Myanmar. Our aim over the two-month project — funded by the Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion — is to understand the formal and informal ways in which the poor transact, save and invest.

The same sum in gold or cash, in Monywa, Myanmar

Over this period, the team will traverse the country, use services and interview dozens of farmers, traders, and day-laborers. These are…