They bypass some of the major constraints that SMEs face when applying for traditional finance tools and expand SME access to finance in general. This includes access to trade finance through mobile phone-based money (Box 2). It was launched in 2007 by Vodafone for Safaricom and Vodacom, the two largest mobile network operators in Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania, respectively. It has since expanded to Afghanistan, Albania, India, Romania, and South Africa. It is estimated to have contributed to a drop of two percentage points in poverty rates in Kenya, with larger reductions among women-headed households.