Gamos (Simon in particular) has been very interested in the potential of mobile phones for money transfer since about 2002. He has been actively championing and lobbying for it since then. His interest started when he realised that at that time migrant workers sent home $80 Billion, and the average charge from Banks and Western Union was 12%. The phone companies told him that it could be done, with international transfers coming in at around 4% but that regulations prevented them implementing such services. Now Migrants send home up to perhaps $400 Billion (2008), and Simon and others have also realised that MBanking or MPayments could be a possible gateway for the unbanked to access financial services.

This DFID funded research project conducted in Albania, Moldova and Kyrgzstan sought to identify the implications of government reform of the energy sector on the urban poor with a view to influencing policy to mitigate against any ill effects.