Based in Nairobi, William Cook focuses on payments, financial market infrastructure, and digital business models. Before joining CGAP, William held a variety of roles in financial services, including six years with Ernst & Young LLP in the organization’s advisory and audit practices.
William is a Certified Public Accountant. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a Master’s Degree in Information Systems and Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Michigan State University.
By William Cook
Blog
In Kenya, Bank Accounts Again More Popular than M-PESA – Why?
Bank accounts today once again outnumber mobile money accounts in Kenya -- by over 30 percent. Innovations like PesaLink have helped banks achieve this growth, showing that banks can thrive in the face of mobile money.Research
Banking in the M-PESA Age
This Working Paper explores three approaches banks in Kenya have used to respond to mobile money. While nonbank mobile financial services can fundamentally reshape the financial sector in a developing market, as they have clearly done in Kenya, mobile services need not represent an existential threat to the traditional banking industry.Blog
The Secret Life of Mobile Money Pricing
Mobile money fees are often viewed as a barrier to financial inclusion, but they can play an important role in building healthy markets for digital financial services.Blog
How Do Mobile Money Fee Structures Impact the Poor?
Pricing data from leading mobile money providers shows significant diversity in pricing models.Blog