In March 2014 a team from Myanmar-based Proximity Designs [http://www.proximitydesigns.org], frog [http://www.frogdesign.com] and strategy consultancy Studio D Radiodurans [http://www.studiodradiodurans.com] mapped the changing financial landscape in Myanmar. Over the two month project — we explored the diverse financial landscape for the poor in Myanmar and uncovered the nuances of income and loan cycles. We mapped behaviours around and attitudes to savings, investments, loans and transactions. We also explored the duality of development, how the poor balance their culture and beliefs with the advancement and globalisation of Myanmar, and how it has impacted their current lives and their outlook for the future. It’s a journey that takes in betel sellers, monks, motorbikes, goats and a lot of gold, with not a little of the afterlife.

This is an ethnographic study on behalf of Proximity Designs, that explores the financial inclusion space in Myanmar. For a full list of authors and contributors see the colophon.