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nouhaila_zaki

Agricultural growth is key to spur Ghana's economic growth | IFPRI : International Food... - 0 views

www.ifpri.org/...ey-spur-ghanas-economic-growth

AgroCenta Ghana Economic Growth

shared by nouhaila_zaki on 27 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • In our new book, Ghana's Economic and Agricultural Transformation: Past Performance and Future Prospects, we integrate economic and political analysis to explore the challenges to and opportunities for Ghana's economic transformation. Using a wide range of primary and secondary data at multiple scales, we examine Ghana's overall economic performance since the major Structural Adjustment Program in the mid-1980s and provide an analysis of the performance of the agricultural sector and broader economy over the past four decades.
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 27 Feb 21
       
      This article is important because it gives us other potential sources for scanning.
kenza_abdelhaq

AgroCenta CEO on the Challenges of Entrepreneurship in Ghana - 0 views

www.seedstars.com/...llenges-entrepreneurship-ghana

AgroCenta Ghana Specialized market

shared by kenza_abdelhaq on 12 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • Does being an entrepreneur in Ghana – and in a developing economy in Africa – presents any ulterior challenges you had overcome?Being an entrepreneur in Africa and in emerging markets, in general, is quite difficult because of the lack of structure and supports put in place by the government. It requires a lot of courage and persistence to get the simplest things done. Any simple tech solution that you might want to build can end up being a very complex challenge because it relies on services that do not exist or don’t work properly. Access to funding also remains a big problem for many entrepreneurs who will need money to test, pilot and scale a platform or a solution. Many investors are quite held back when it comes to making investments in Africa for an obvious reason: corruption.
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 12 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt is important because it reflects the challenges faced by AgroCenta in Ghana, i.e. corruption, lack of financing, lack of proper infrastructure, lack of government help, among other things.
  • Our business model is simple, we are a B2B business that generates commission fees on trade volumes from the businesses we work with.
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 12 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt is extremely important because it clearly states the business model of the company.
  • we are definitely improving the financial livelihood of smallholder farmers through fair trade. Many smallholder farmers are paid less than $1 a day and our objective is to increase it to $4 a day by 2020.
    • kenzabenessalah
      kenzabenessalah on 12 Feb 21
       
      AgroCenta is an extremely important concept because it is helping to increase farmers' salaries. Going from $1 a day to $4 a day is already an improvement.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • AgroCenta focuses on 3 key impact goals for Ghana:No Poverty: Gender Equality: in Sub-Saharan Africa, traditions and land ownerships do not favor women, which ends up in many women being excluded from the agriculture value chain. By engaging the relevant stakeholders, AgroCenta rents arable agricultural lands to female smallholder farmers for free. Women are also given seeds, fertilizers, mechanized tractor services and extensive advisory information on farming best practices such as what type of seed to plant, when to plant, how to plant, etc.Decent Work & Economic Growth: we empower smallholder farmers to see agriculture as more than just a way to survive and position it as a viable industry that can be sustainable for their family.
    • mehdibella
      mehdibella on 13 Feb 21
       
      as you can see this company cares a lot about the livelyhood of their farmers and is trying to provide them only with the best features that would make life easier which in fact the main things that they tackle in the SDGs.
  • Seedstars Summit has been phenomenal. It has put AgroCenta on a pedestal and in the spotlight of a huge community in Africa. The experience after the Summit has been amazing: we received a lot of proposals from potential investors, partners and other service providers keen on working with us for growth and expansion.
  • Winning the vote of the entire jury, AgroCenta from Ghana was crowned the Seedstars Global Winner of the 5th edition of Seedstars Summit. At Seedstars, we are convinced that AgroCenta will shape the future of AgriTech in Africa. Indeed, the start-up’s mission is to improve the financial livelihood of smallholder farmers through fair trade.
    • aminej
      aminej on 12 Feb 21
       
      Agrocenta will have a great impact on farmers in Africa since it will enable them to protect their production and have an insurace in case of any risks. It will also help them regulate the market of agricultural products in order to set a price for each one
  • We identified a missing gap in the value chain that was the capacity to access the market for smallholder farmers after they have successfully cultivated their commodities. Access to the market was a huge problem for millions of smallholder farmers.
    • kenza_abdelhaq
      kenza_abdelhaq on 13 Feb 21
       
      AgroCenta is fulfilling a market gap that is the need for smallholder farmers to access the market.
  • AgroCenta focuses as well as Seedstars on achieving the Sustainable Goals set up by the UN
    • sawsanenn
      sawsanenn on 13 Feb 21
       
      one of the main goals is to reach economic growth by empowering smallholders farmers to see agriculture not only as a survival solution but as an investment
  • Gender Equality: in Sub-Saharan Africa, traditions and land ownerships do not favor women, which ends up in many women being excluded from the agriculture value chain. By engaging the relevant stakeholders, AgroCenta rents arable agricultural lands to female smallholder farmers for free. Women are also given seeds, fertilizers, mechanized tractor services and extensive advisory information on farming best practices such as what type of seed to plant, when to plant, how to plant, etc.Decent Work & Economic Growth: we empower smallholder farmers to see agriculture as more than just a way to survive and position it as a viable industry that can be sustainable for their family.
    • hibaerrai
      hibaerrai on 13 Feb 21
       
      Agrocenta main goals are the following: first and the most evident one no poverty especially for farmers who are not paid enough. second, gender equality and finally economic agricultural development within the country.
  • A great team for sure! Our major strength has been a team made of people with diverse backgrounds and experiences and a deep understanding of the agricultural value chain. This asset allowed us to save a lot of time we would have naturally spent on trying to fine tune and launch the AgroCenta platform. Thanks to that we avoided making the common mistakes many new and unexperienced founders make.
    • ghtazi
      ghtazi on 13 Feb 21
       
      what we can understand is that having a great team is the key asset that led to the rapid growth of Agrocenta. cross-cultural team has been a plus for the development of agrocenta. it helped the company to save time and avoid making common mistakes that many new and inexperienced founders make.
  • Many investors are quite held back when it comes to making investments in Africa for an obvious reason: corruption.
mohammed_ab

Contributing to Egypt's growth journey - Wamda - 1 views

www.wamda.com/...ributing-egypts-growth-journey

Fawry Egypt IPO Fintech Pandemic

shared by mohammed_ab on 13 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • If you don’t believe that Fawry’s unicorn status and the birth of numerous rapidly growing startups in the space are proof that fintech is the future or that this sector will be critical to Egypt’s ability to achieve its commitment to inclusive and sustainable economic growth under Vision 2030, forget all of that and focus on one simple reality. In the midst of the global pandemic, Egypt and many similar countries in the region and beyond are finally introducing laws and regulations that will not only allow this sector to thrive, but will allow our economies to thrive by using technology to serve the millions of people who remain economically excluded from the system.
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 13 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt is important because it explains how in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, Egypt and many other similar countries started introducing laws and regulations that will allow fintech similar to Fawry to thrive.
  • In 2019, Fawry became the first fintech company to IPO in the region and since taking that step, the price of its stock has risen by 300 per cent. In August, Fawry became Egypt’s first tech ‘unicorn,’ born during a global pandemic and what is quickly becoming a global economic meltdown of massive proportions.
  • nouhaila_zaki on 13 Feb 21
     
    "If you don't believe that Fawry's unicorn status and the birth of numerous rapidly growing startups in the space are proof that fintech is the future or that this sector will be critical to Egypt's ability to achieve its commitment to inclusive and sustainable economic growth under Vision 2030, forget all of that and focus on one simple reality. In the midst of the global pandemic, Egypt and many similar countries in the region and beyond are finally introducing laws and regulations that will not only allow this sector to thrive, but will allow our economies to thrive by using technology to serve the millions of people who remain economically excluded from the system."
  • mohammed_ab on 13 Feb 21
     
    This part of the article is important as it describes how Farwy shares have increased in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic. I think that fintech companies grow during crises as they offer solutions that fit the crisis.
mohammed_ab

Electronic Transactions Reshape Egypt's Economy - 3 views

www.ifc.org/...egypt-digital-payments

Fawry Egypt Fintech Positive Impact Economy

shared by mohammed_ab on 11 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • The rise of online banking around the world has helped other economies solve these very challenges. Cash, for example, is hard to transport. Coins and bills are prone to theft, and their use makes dodging taxes easier for those so inclined. For individuals who must pay in person, getting across a gridlocked city like Cairo is logistically difficult. Together, these problems can constrain an economy. In Egypt, where 94 percent of all transactions were cash as recently as 2014, such a system stymies economic growth.
  • Fawry is part of a new wave of technology companies ushering Egypt into the digital age. Many of these firms are helping transform industries like banking, health care, and transport, and in the process creating good jobs for young Egyptians, more than 30 percent of whom are unemployed.
  • Sabry, a former salesperson at IBM Egypt, launched Fawry because he knew these issues kept Egypt’s economy from achieving its promise. The early years were lean as the company worked to convince tech-wary Egyptians that Fawry’s systems were secure—and that their money wouldn’t disappear into an electronic void.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • “Time is of the essence, and Fawry saves me a lot of it,” says Shawky, who owns three electronics stores in the Egyptian capital.
    • kenzabenessalah
      kenzabenessalah on 13 Feb 21
       
      Fawry is available for its customers day and night which attracts a large range of people.
  • It was something that Cairo-based shop owner Nader Shawky had come to dread: paying his phone bill. Every month, he trekked to the offices of his mobile provider where he and dozens of others stood in line—sometimes for up to two hours—to settle their bills. It was, he admits, a maddening process.
    • samielbaqqali
      samielbaqqali on 12 Feb 21
       
      By providing online banking financial administrations that allow you to cover your bills, transfer cash, and access a record of your checking account transactions from your internet browser, Fawry makes the life of its clients less difficult. Banking from anywhere, at any time of day or night, makes it a little easier to do anything you do about your finances.
  • Fawry, a fast-growing Cairo-based company that specializes in electronic payments, makes it possible for Shawky to take care of his accounts online.
  • Fawry’s growth has had a profound effect on Egypt’s economy, says Akef el Maghrabi, the vice chairman of Banque Misr, one of Egypt’s biggest banks and an early Fawry partner. “When you eliminate or reduce the reliance on cash, then you fight corruption, you provide convenience, you lower costs, and you grow the economy. [Electronic payments] do a lot of good for the country.”
    • ayachehbouni
      ayachehbouni on 13 Feb 21
       
      With a system that relies mainly on cash transactions, the economy faces too many challenges that stops its growth and development. For instance, cash is hard to transport, coins and bills can easily be stolen, and their use makes dodging taxes and corruption easier.
  • IFC invested $6 million in Fawry in 2013 and helped guide founder Ashraf Sabry and his team as they built their business. Now the 12-year-old company handles 2.5 million transactions a day. In 2018 Fawry processed 40 billion Egyptian pounds (about $2.5 billion) in electronic payments. Earlier in 2019, Fawry became Egypt’s largest financial technology firm to list on the national stock exchange. It now employs 1,600 people.
    • samielbaqqali
      samielbaqqali on 13 Feb 21
       
      By providing online banking financial administrations that allow you to cover your bills, transfer cash, and access a record of your checking account transactions from your internet browser, Fawry makes the life of its clients less difficult. Banking from anywhere, at any time of day or night, makes it a little easier to do anything you do about your finances.
  • As the Fawry network grew, shop owners who installed the system saw significant benefits, too. Fawry’s terminals drew new customers into stores, providing the consumer traffic that is the lifeblood of small shops. Mahmoud El Rawy, a grocery store owner and father of three, can attest to that. His shop struggled until he installed a Fawry payment terminal. “Fawry has had a big impact on my business,” says El Rawy, who now owns three supermarkets. “It helped bring me more customers and it’s why many come to me now.”
  • chaimaa-rachid on 11 Feb 21
     
    Fawry is making the life of its customers less difficult by offering online banking financial administrations that empower you to cover your bills, move cash, and access a record of your checking account transactions from your internet browser. Banking from anywhere, at any time of the day or night, makes all what you do with your finances somewhat simpler.
  • ...1 more comment...
  • hichamachir on 12 Feb 21
     
    Fintech is providing a very fast business and customer are really satisfied with it. I think that fast service is the main objective of Fintechs.
  • hindelquarrouti on 13 Feb 21
     
    Fawri is helping Egyptians in handling their bills online rather than spending hours on this kind of processes if done traditionally.
  • mohammed_ab on 13 Feb 21
     
    It's interesting to see that Fawry has a positive impact on its customers but also its business partners like small show owners.
kenza_abdelhaq

Egyptian fintech in 2020: A tale of crosswinds and tailwinds [Part One] - Wamda - 0 views

www.wamda.com/...2020-tale-crosswinds-tailwinds

Fawry Egypt Context Global Economic

shared by kenza_abdelhaq on 13 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • Fortunately, Egypt’s first Covid wave was milder than those in other countries. The country managed to get by without going into full lockdown and the country is now one of the few in the world with a positive gross domestic product (GDP) growth outlook for 2020. Despite the mild top-line hit, most startups still felt the impact of Covid-19, with a whopping 83.9 per cent indicating, in May, that they had been negatively impacted by the crisis. The same survey highlighted that 29 per cent of Egyptian startups had suspended operations – an alarming proportion that would have increased with the recent resurgence of the virus. It remains to be seen what the full impact of the second wave is.  
    • kenza_abdelhaq
      kenza_abdelhaq on 13 Feb 21
       
      Egypt managed to have a positive GDP growth in 2020 even though the pandemic impacted negatively more than 80% of the startups.
  • If we look back on 2020, the largest funding rounds for Egyptian startups were not in fintech but healthcare and transport, with Vezeeta raising more than $40 million and Swvl more than $20 million. Yet, fintech still managed to make headlines on several occasions, including new regulations, high profile investment rounds and exciting launches. It was an eventful and exhilarating year for the fintech ecosystem in Egypt.
    • kenza_abdelhaq
      kenza_abdelhaq on 13 Feb 21
       
      Even though more importance was given to healthcare and transport with regard to the largest funding rounds, fintech was still getting a lot of attention (making headlines, new regulations, etc).
  • Fawry’s success story has undoubtedly encouraged investments in other e-payments venture that will help dynamise this space in coming years. The industry is still massively underpenetrated as cash remains king but will remain as one of the more active areas within fintech in coming years.
    • kenza_abdelhaq
      kenza_abdelhaq on 13 Feb 21
       
      Fawry being the leader of digital payments in Egypt definitely helped encourage investments in this field/industry.
  • kenza_abdelhaq on 13 Feb 21
     
    "Fortunately, Egypt's first Covid wave was milder than those in other countries. The country managed to get by without going into full lockdown and the country is now one of the few in the world with a positive gross domestic product (GDP) growth outlook for 2020. Despite the mild top-line hit, most startups still felt the impact of Covid-19, with a whopping 83.9 per cent indicating, in May, that they had been negatively impacted by the crisis. The same survey highlighted that 29 per cent of Egyptian startups had suspended operations - an alarming proportion that would have increased with the recent resurgence of the virus. It remains to be seen what the full impact of the second wave is.  "
sawsanenn

Jumo - LeapFrog Investments - 1 views

leapfroginvest.com/jumo

Financial inclusion FinTech Africa Service Asia

shared by sawsanenn on 12 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • So far JUMO has analysed more than 33 terabytes of data to serve more than nine million customers in seven countries across Africa and Asia, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Zambia and Pakistan.
  • Its mission is to build and operate inclusive digital banking marketplaces to advance financial inclusion for the 80 per cent of the world’s population who are excluded or underserved by traditional financial services.
  • As an investor partner, LeapFrog’s financial services expertise is being used for product design and multi-country rollouts, to turbocharge Jumo’s growth and spur financial inclusion across Africa.
    • ghtazi
      ghtazi on 13 Feb 21
       
      I think that this is a very smart move since it will help the company to grow and spur financial inclusion across Africa.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • 100% of its customers are estimated to be low-income, earning less than $10 per day PPP, and approximately 80% have never interacted with formal financial offerings before using the platform. The company has extensive expansion plans for both Africa and now Asia, with CEO and Founder, Andrew Watkins-Ball having relocated to Singapore to drive expansion.
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 13 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt is important because it describes the customer segment targetted by Jumo straightforwardly. It says that 100% of Jumo customers are low-income, and around 80% of them have never been exposed to formal financial offerings before using Jumo.
  • Jumo is a disruptive fintech business that is rapidly reshaping how ethical financial products reach consumers and SMEs in emerging markets. Its mission is to build and operate inclusive digital banking marketplaces to advance financial inclusion for the 80 per cent of the world’s population who are excluded or underserved by traditional financial services.
  • By creating a customer-centric platform that enables the distribution of leading-edge financial offerings instantly and on-mobile, JUMO is generating access at an unprecedented rate
  • Advancing inclusive access to and usage of affordable formal financial services is vital to promoting vital financial health, economic empowerment, financial stability and sustainable growth. Yet emerging markets have negligible penetration of formal financial services: savings is chronically underdeveloped and the majority of the world’s 2 billion unbanked adults are found in low- and middle-income emerging markets.
    • sawsanenn
      sawsanenn on 13 Feb 21
       
      we can conclude that Jumo offers diversified financial services that are affordable to their customer's target which is mainly new entrepreneurs
  • chaimaa-rachid on 12 Feb 21
     
    JUMO clients are evaluated to be low-income, obtaining less than $ 10 every day, and around eighty percent have never collaborated with formal monetary offers utilizing the stage.
  • hindelquarrouti on 13 Feb 21
     
    Jumo's goal is that of including the 80% of the world's population that is currently not benefiting from financial services. This company is targeting low and low-middle class as they are the categorise that are usually neglected by traditional finance services. In doing this, it is mainly targeting Asia and Africa
  • mohammed_ab on 13 Feb 21
     
    JUMO serves a big market of underbanked people or people will low access to financial services. I like how the company gives the opportunity to small businesses that wish to grow and expand to borrow money at a low cost.
sawsanenn

Is M-Pesa really Kenyan or British? - 1 views

www.iafrikan.com/...m-pesas-origins

Financial inclusion FinTech Service Africa Kenya

shared by sawsanenn on 12 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • Hailed as the “Kenyan technology success story”, many have claimed M-PESA to be a testimony to the greatness of the East African country’s technology scene, producing world-class technology companies that rival those in South Africa. However, is the acclaimed mobile money service really Kenyan at all? The answer is no. M-PESA is British.
    • hichamachir
      hichamachir on 12 Feb 21
       
      M-Pesa can be a british company but it's becoming part of the Kenyan culture. It's not important whether it's British or Kenyan, the most important thing is that M-Pesa revolutionized the Kenyan economy and played a huge role to develop the financial industry in Kenya.
  • By any stretch of the currently available facts, the service that accounts for more than 60 percent of Kenya’s GDP in transactions was conceived by British professionals. The company commissioned with developing the idea, Sagentia, into a workable technology was British. Additionally, the company that owns the intellectual property rights to the idea, Vodafone, is British and, lastly, it was funded in its initial stages by the British Government.
    • samielbaqqali
      samielbaqqali on 12 Feb 21
       
      M-Pesa may be a British business, but it is becoming a part of the culture of Kenya. Whether it's British or Kenyan, the most important thing is that M-Pesa has revolutionized the Kenyan economy and played a major role in the growth of Kenya's financial sector.
  • Nyagaka Anyona Ouko, a Kenyan from Nairobi, claims he is the innovator of M-Pesa and claims that Vodafone and its representatives stole the idea of Mobile Cash Transfer from him.
    • ghtazi
      ghtazi on 13 Feb 21
       
      there is a lot of perspectives about the fact that M-Pesa is not really a Kenyan product but a British product. Nyagaka Anyona Ouko, a Kenyan from Nairobi, claims he is the innovator of M-Pesa and accuses Vodafone of plagiarism. but the story vanished quicker than it appears.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Despite this certificate being awarded in 2012 and being stated as being in the LITERARY category, Ouko insists he is the original M-PESA innovator and further elaborates by saying that he has been “trying to Patent a Money Transfer system way back in 2003”. Even though he says that he believes many more Kenyans contributed to the innovation and development of M-PESA without recognition or reward, he writes, “Even though I currently believe I am the one, I start this with an open mind. If another person or firm comes forward with compelling proof I am ready to step aside and support that person.”
  • By any stretch of the currently available facts, the service that accounts for more than 60 percent of Kenya’s GDP in transactions was conceived by British professionals. The company commissioned with developing the idea, Sagentia, into a workable technology was British. Additionally, the company that owns the intellectual property rights to the idea, Vodafone, is British and, lastly, it was funded in its initial stages by the British Government.
    • sawsanenn
      sawsanenn on 13 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt is important because it shows how M-Pesa helped in the economic growth of Kenya. They also helped in expanding the fintech culture in the country
nouhaila_zaki

What Kenya's mobile money success could mean for the Arab world - 1 views

www.worldbank.org/...-could-mean-for-the-arab-world

M-Pesa Kenya Arab World

shared by nouhaila_zaki on 12 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • For a successful model, the Arab World can look to Kenya’s development of mobile money or “M-Pesa”. In many ways, the elements that lead to M-Pesa’s success in Kenya are already present in the Arab World. Young people in MENA are digitally savvy, are active on social media and are some of the heaviest users of mobile phones in the world.
    • hichamachir
      hichamachir on 12 Feb 21
       
      M-Pesa can influence many countries to believe in the power of technology and innovation. I think that embracing the entrepreneurial lifestyle can help many countries to innovate and create successful business and M-Pesa is a great example.
  • The growth of M-Pesa is the result of many factors, including the ease of setting up an account (which is free and only requires an official ID), its simplicity of use, its affordability, the high literacy rate of the population, and the high penetration of mobile phones.Another key element to M-Pesa’s growth worth emphasizing is the regulatory stance adopted by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). It decided not to oppose the entry of the telecom operator into the financial sector as long as it offered sufficient guarantees. CBK adopted an “above the fray” position as a regulator and allowed for experimentation in order to foster innovation.
  • The successful adoption of M-Pesa in Kenya reverberated across the African startup scene. It acted as a catalyzer and a signal for young entrepreneurs in Kenya and Africa as a whole: revolutionary ideas could be successfully implemented in Africa and generate both business opportunities and a development path for local communities.
    • samielbaqqali
      samielbaqqali on 12 Feb 21
       
      M-Pesa will influence many nations to believe in the potential of creativity and technology. I think it will help many countries to innovate and build effective companies by adopting the entrepreneurial lifestyle, and M-Pesa is an excellent example.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • A MENA perspectiveMENA could easily follow in Kenya’s footsteps, and reap immense benefits. The adoption of mobile payment systems makes transactions cheaper, easier and safer. By simplifying how clients can pay for goods and services, it helps firms reach out to new customers and foster private sector development across the economy. Moreover, as is often the case with innovations, it has the potential to be built upon and used by other new technologies and to create a positive momentum in fintech as a whole.Governments in the Middle East and North Africa should enable digital innovation with conducive regulations and the development of a regulatory ‘sandbox’, which guarantees the security of transactions but allows for experimentation, that would stimulate the development and adoption of disruptive innovations.Today, economic connectivity is achieved by the development and harmonization of optic fibers, IT equipment, online payment systems, information transmission and data protection policies. If the MENA region puts sufficient efforts in this direction, it could propose a new path to its citizens, in particular the youth, and bring about a new development strategy adapted to the modern age.
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 13 Feb 21
       
      This except is very interesting because it touches upon the way in which M-Pesa could benefit MENA societies. It encourages MENA governments to legislate in favour of innovation and digital products in order to propose a new development strategy that befits the modern age.
  • mohammed_ab on 12 Feb 21
     
    I think that this article has some great information on how to replicate the success story of M-Pesa in the Arab World. I think that the Arab World is in need of such service to facilitate the life of unbanked people, and especially women. This article also highlights the importance of having a lenient regulatory system.
mbellakbail69

Fawry | IBM - 3 views

www.ibm.com/...ware-flashsystem-power-systems

shared by mbellakbail69 on 07 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • Fawry now supports millions of transactions daily for consumers and business through more than 90,000 locations (including groceries, pharmacies, stationaries and post offices), as well as through multiple alternative channels, including online, ATMs, and mobile wallets. The company’s client base and service offerings continue to expand, leading to rapid data growth. Abbas comments: "Our data has doubled in just the last eight months, and we expect it to grow even faster in the years to come.”
  • The technology offers data compression and deduplication features that enable Fawry to boost utilization of storage resources. Abbas adds: “IBM FlashSystem A9000R offers much greater performance than our previous storage platform, meaning that we get both optimized data economics and short response times. We were able to achieve a seamless migration to the new platform with zero downtime.”
  • Each day, Fawry processes 2 million financial transactions, giving Egyptians an easy, secure payment alternative to the complex, time-consuming procedures that are the norm. To help grow customer satisfaction and speed the roll-out of new services, Fawry deployed IBM® Storage, IBM Db2® and Oracle database on IBM Power Systems™ solutions.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • With a population of over 100 million people, Egypt is a land of opportunity for consumer services providers. In a country where payment procedures are often slow, fragmented and complex, Fawry identified a gap in the market for a simple, secure omnichannel payment gateway.
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 13 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt is important because it introduces the need that Fawry was created to tackle and the market gap that it saw as an opportunity to prosper. It is very important to understand the core problem around which Fawry services were designed, in order to be able to design and develop strategies that are faithful to this same goal.
  • Fawry now supports millions of transactions daily for consumers and business through more than 90,000 locations (including groceries, pharmacies, stationaries and post offices), as well as through multiple alternative channels, including online, ATMs, and mobile wallets. The company’s client base and service offerings continue to expand, leading to rapid data growth. Abbas comments: "Our data has doubled in just the last eight months, and we expect it to grow even faster in the years to come.”
    • samielbaqqali
      samielbaqqali on 12 Feb 21
       
      Fawry strives to make the life of their customer simpler. They have an e-commerce solution that links sellers to buyers that provide different methods of payment.
  • Fawry Putting Egypt on the global digital payments map
  • The company’s success is built on delivering consistently fast, dependable services alongside continual innovation. Seeing an opportunity to do more with its data, Fawry evaluated its technology infrastructure to ensure it was ready for the next phase in its evolution.
    • kenza_abdelhaq
      kenza_abdelhaq on 13 Feb 21
       
      Fawry focuses on fast and dependable services based on innovation. The company also works on making better use of the data collected to make informed decisions; while keeping in mind the importance of a good technology infrastructure ready for the implementation of any new phase.
  • Haytham Abbas, Infrastructure Director at Fawry, picks up the story: “When we launched in 2008, the average household had to deal with around 13 separate utility and service providers. Since they typically had to set up payments with each service provider separately, often by visiting a branch, this was a lot of hassle. We created an omnichannel digital payment network to make life easier for consumers and the businesses that serve them.”
  • Fawry has a long history with IBM, having chosen IBM solutions to underpin its business again and again over the last decade. The company relies on both IBM Db2 and Oracle database software running on IBM Power Systems to support its bespoke electronic financial platform, processing 2 million transactions per day. “Together, IBM Db2, Oracle database and IBM Power Systems solutions give us the ability to process huge transaction volumes,” comments Abbas. “They provide a powerful foundation for our business, and have scaled seamlessly as we’ve grown.”
    • mbellakbail69
      mbellakbail69 on 13 Feb 21
       
      To ensure that it selected the best offerings on the market for its latest refresh, the company's IT team undertook a thorough evaluation of storage and server options from multiple vendors.
  • chaimaa-rachid on 07 Feb 21
     
    Fawry aims to make their client's life easier. They have an e-commerce solution that connects sellers with buyers offering various payment methods.
  • ...1 more comment...
  • hichamachir on 12 Feb 21
     
    The success of the compnay relies on its partnerships. Fawry's partnership with IBM is brilliant because IBM can offer Fawry some advanced technology that can help improve the business.
  • hindelquarrouti on 13 Feb 21
     
    Fawri is a secure alternative to the traditional procedures. It is user friendly and Egiptians are benefiting from it.
  • kenza_abdelhaq on 13 Feb 21
     
    "The company's success is built on delivering consistently fast, dependable services alongside continual innovation. Seeing an opportunity to do more with its data, Fawry evaluated its technology infrastructure to ensure it was ready for the next phase in its evolution."
kaoutarchennoufi

Leadership | Kiva - 0 views

www.kiva.org/leadership

HumanResources Qualified Experience

shared by kaoutarchennoufi on 12 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • Jason has over 20 years of executive product and general management experience helping early-stage and growth-stage companies build and deliver innovative products and experiences. Prior to Kiva, Jason spent 7 years at Minted. There, he led the Product Management and Design teams after running Growth, Digital Products, and Customer Operations. He began his career at Yodlee where he eventually led global engineering and custom products, then moved on to establish and lead the product teams at Lift Media and Extole.
  • Neville Crawley, Chief Executive Officer, Kiva Neville joined Kiva as CEO in the fall of 2017. He brings nearly 2 decades of experience leading global business and technology ventures, most recently as the CEO of Quid, a platform that analyzes the world's collective intelligence to help answer strategic questions. During Neville’s career he has worked in China, Nigeria, Brazil, Malaysia and across the Middle East, including 4 years working for McKinsey & Company and as the publisher of China Economic Review. Board member since 2017
    • kaoutarchennoufi
      kaoutarchennoufi on 12 Feb 21
       
      It is clear the Kiva considers human resources as the pillars of the day to day operations. For this reason, it choses very qualified and experienced human energies in different fields and therefore who will help it achieve its organizational goals.
ayoubb

Fintech and the Future of Finance by James Guild :: SSRN - 0 views

papers.ssrn.com/...papers.cfm

shared by ayoubb on 13 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • The application of technological innovations to the finance industry (Fintech) has been attracting tens of billions of dollars in venture capital in recent years. Examples of Fintech innovations include digital cash transfer services in Kenya and India, and peer-to-peer lending platforms in China. These services, when developed in tandem with complementary government policies and regulatory frameworks, have the potential to expand financial services to hundreds of millions of people currently lacking access and to break new ground on the way finance is conducted. This is important because sustainable economic growth is strongly linked with financial inclusion. The successful adoption of Fintech to increase financial inclusion is highly dependent on competent regulatory oversight. By examining varying degrees of success in the adoption of Fintech services in Kenya, India and China this paper argues that adopting a responsive regulatory approach, rather than an overly interventionist one, is the most suitable framework for boosting financial inclusion through technological innovation.
    • ayoubb
      ayoubb on 13 Feb 21
       
      Innovation
sawsanenn

JUMO - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding - 0 views

www.crunchbase.com/...jumo-2

FinTech Financial inclusion Service

shared by sawsanenn on 13 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • We use advanced data science and machine learning to create the fastest and leanest financial services infrastructure.
    • ghtazi
      ghtazi on 13 Feb 21
       
      Jumo is based on speed to achieve its objectives, which are to create the fastest and leanest financial services infrastructure.
  • Our partners use our technology stack to offer savings, lending and insurance products to entrepreneurs in emergingmarkets.These next-generation products give anyone with a cell phone and mobile wallet access to unprecedented financial choice, enabling millions of people to prosper, build their businesses and drive economic growth.
    • sawsanenn
      sawsanenn on 13 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt shows the importance of technology in this company. How fascinating we can use our smartphones in a financial way to build and prosper our businesses
mbellakbail69

AgroCenta CEO on the Challenges of Entrepreneurship in Ghana - 0 views

seedstarslife.com/...llenges-entrepreneurship-ghana

shared by mbellakbail69 on 13 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • AgroCenta focuses on 3 key impact goals for Ghana:No Poverty: we are definitely improving the financial livelihood of smallholder farmers through fair trade. Many smallholder farmers are paid less than $1 a day and our objective is to increase it to $4 a day by 2020.Gender Equality: in Sub-Saharan Africa, traditions and land ownerships do not favor women, which ends up in many women being excluded from the agriculture value chain. By engaging the relevant stakeholders, AgroCenta rents arable agricultural lands to female smallholder farmers for free. Women are also given seeds, fertilizers, mechanized tractor services and extensive advisory information on farming best practices such as what type of seed to plant, when to plant, how to plant, etc.Decent Work & Economic Growth: we empower smallholder farmers to see agriculture as more than just a way to survive and position it as a viable industry that can be sustainable for their family.
    • mbellakbail69
      mbellakbail69 on 13 Feb 21
       
      AgroCenta is primarily a digital food and logistics network that generates shared value for local companies and small farmers. Their  business model is simple; it's a B2B company that earns commissions from the companies they deal with for commercial transactions.
ghtazi

Ghanaian agri-tech startup AgroCenta raises $790k pre-Series A funding - Disrupt Africa - 0 views

disrupt-africa.com/...ises-790k-pre-series-a-funding

platfrom Ghana Merchanting

shared by ghtazi on 12 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • “The demand for agricultural raw materials from offtakers in the brewery, manufacturing and consumer sector is increasing exponentially because of the easing of the COVID-19 restrictions that were put in place by the government of Ghana, hence this capital injection will help to secure purchases at fair and transparent prices from smallholders — a much needed lifeline for many who are at the proverbial bottom of the pyramid.”
    • aminej
      aminej on 12 Feb 21
       
      This is an issue we also used to have in Morocco in period of crisis. Farmers start increasing prices because of the high demand and people start complainning. It is important to Regulate prices in the Market in order to avoid a civil war in period of crisis
  • AgroCenta will use the funding to further develop its smallholder farmer inclusion programmes and procure crops at transparent and fair market prices to service offtake contracts. The startup’s chief executive officer (CEO) Francis Obirikorang and co-founder Michael Ocansey said the investment was vitally important.
    • tahaemsd
      tahaemsd on 12 Feb 21
       
      having the support of leading institutions, particularly with the covid backdrop, can be a significant milestone for Agrocenta
  • This is a significant milestone for AgroCenta, having the support of leading institutions, particularly with the COVID-19 backdrop, underlining the strength of AgroCenta and the importance of its mission,” they said. 
    • sawsanenn
      sawsanenn on 13 Feb 21
       
      this excerpt is important because it shows the solidarity between companies during a crisis time. Plus we can see the efforts to help smallholder farmers to fight this crisis. this is another approach for economic growth even during a pandemic
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • Founded in 2016, AgroCenta operates a mobile merchanting platform which provides market information, storage and delivery solutions, and financial services to smallholder farmers in Ghana.
    • ghtazi
      ghtazi on 13 Feb 21
       
      agrocenta It operates a mobile merchanting platform that provides smallholder farmers in Ghana with market information, storage, and delivery solutions, and financial services.
mehdibella

IFC and Fawry Help Extend Financial Services across Egypt - 0 views

pressroom.ifc.org/...PressDetail.aspx

Kiva kenya Nairobi Fintech finance

shared by mehdibella on 13 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • IFC and Fawry Help Extend Financial Services across Egypt
  • The $6 million investment will help Fawry, a local company, extend its network of payment terminals across Egypt, a country heavily reliant on cumbersome cash transactions. That is expected to help consumers pay bills and make it easier for businesses to receive payments, stoking commerce and economic growth.
  • The investment is also designed to help restore investor confidence in Egypt and create jobs in its burgeoning high-tech sector.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • The company has more than 20,000 payment locations, including retail stores, post offices, and the ATMs of 10 commercial banks. With IFC’s support, Fawry is planning to increase its number of payment locations to 35,000 by 2016. The investment is part of IFC’s efforts to catalyze foreign investment in Egypt, support the private sector, and drive job creation. In the 2012 fiscal year, IFC committed $506 million to seven local projects, a figure that includes $125 million mobilized from other investors. IFC has over $1 billion invested in the country.
mehdibella

Fintech for Financial Inclusion & Empowerment | JUMO - 0 views

www.jumo.world/about

Jumo Fintech finance SouthAfrica

shared by mehdibella on 12 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • JUMO partnered with Uber to create JUMO Drive, a first-of-its-kind digital vehicle asset finance product for rideshare drivers.
  • The first funding partner was introduced to the operating platform. JUMO’s partnership with Letshego Bank in Ghana enabled payment and capital providers to work together to build products.
  • JUMO partnered with Telenor and Telenor Microfinance bank to launch the first commercial product in Asia.
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • The use of digital savings, by JUMO in Tanzania and Zambia, grew rapidly.
    • mehdibella
      mehdibella on 13 Feb 21
       
      JUMO partnered with Telenor and Telenor Microfinance bank to launch the first commercial product in Asia.
  • JUMO secured another funding round of US$55 million to support market and product expansion.
  • JUMO is powering a new wave of financial tools, enabling hundreds of millions of people to prosper, build their businesses and drive economic growth
  • JUMO was founded in London by Andrew Watkins-Ball, with a vision of reimagining finance in emerging markets. The founding team started working to prove that data can be used to predict the financial behaviour of millions of people without access to finance. Credit risk, engineering and other capabilities were developed with industry-leading talent. The first ecosystem partnerships were established with Tigo, Airtel and MTN to bring short-term loan products to people and small businesses in Kenya, Zambia and Uganda.
    • ghtazi
      ghtazi on 13 Feb 21
       
      JUMO is a British company founded by Andrew Watkins- Ball, and its vision is to reimagine finance in emerging markets. the goal of this company is to show that Data can be used to forecast millions of people's financial activity without access to finance.
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 13 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt is really great at introducing Jumo, its initial partnerships, the products/services offered by Jumo.
  • Timiza Akiba, a JUMO-powered savings product, grew 30% in 3 months despite COVID conditions.
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 13 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt reports on the impressive performance of Timiza Akima, a Jumo product, despite covid-19 conditions, which reflects the company's resilience despite the pandemic.
  • A funding round of $52m USD was closed. The round was led by Goldman Sachs, with participation from Proparco, FinnFund, Vostok Emerging Finance, Gemcorp Capital, and LeapFrog Investments. A further $12.5m USD was secured from Odey Asset Management.
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 13 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt is important because it reports on how Jumo obtains financing for its operations from external sources i.e. Odey Asset Management.
  • Fast Company SA named JUMO one of the most innovative companies owing to advanced data science and Machine Learning capabilities.
    • sawsanenn
      sawsanenn on 13 Feb 21
       
      Jumo is powering new waves of financial tools that can help entrepreneurs to build and grow their business
  • chaimaa-rachid on 12 Feb 21
     
    Parentships always help a business to improve and grow. Jumo is expanding its service to satisfy everyone.
  • hindelquarrouti on 13 Feb 21
     
    At the beginning Jumo started by a founding team that was mainly working in order to prove that data are essentials and that they can predict the future financial behaviour of millions of people that originally didn't have access to finance. So, Jumo's main asset can be considered to be its data analysis that forecasts financial behaviours.
hindelquarrouti

ELFAGID AREGAHEGNE.pdf - 1 views

197.156.93.91/...ELFAGID%20AREGAHEGNE.pdf

Belcash Economic Growth Network-Obstacles

shared by hindelquarrouti on 11 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • hindelquarrouti on 12 Feb 21
     
    Technology service providers are seen as becoming beneficial as they open the door for new business opportunities. They enhance selling mobiles and agent banking platforms for financial institutions. Finally, Belcash provides counselling services for customers.
samielbaqqali

GOODsoil VC accelerates Africa's fintech investment surge with $940 000 seed capital in... - 0 views

www.africanews.com/...-injection-into-ghana-s-zeepay

Zeepay Africa Entrepreneurs

shared by samielbaqqali on 13 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • Founded in 2017 by Charmaine Hayden, Orla Enright, Ashley Thompson-MacCarthy and Richard Mensah, GOODsoil comprises 50% female and 75% black partners, all young, serial entrepreneurs intent on becoming catalysts of economic growth for minority founders across Africa.
    • samielbaqqali
      samielbaqqali on 13 Feb 21
       
      Africa is growing in terms of potential and is having more and more young entrepreneurs.
  • Zeepay focuses on digital rails to connect digital assets. The company has a footprint in more than 20 African markets and, in April 2020, became the first indigenous company to be awarded the Electronic Money Issuer (EMI) license to operate as a mobile financial services company by the Bank of Ghana, the regulator of banking and financial services.
ayoubb

FinTech and RegTech: Enabling Innovation While Preserving Financial Stability on JSTOR - 0 views

www.jstor.org/...26395923

shared by ayoubb on 13 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • The authors propose a new regime of regulatory systems in response to the growth of financial technology to balance innovation with objectives for economic development, financial stability, and consumer protection. This regime, called "smart regulation," requires a comprehensive review of current regulatory frameworks and systems. Smart regulation also involves technology for regulation, includes digitization of systems, and leverages advanced analytics and data.
    • ayoubb
      ayoubb on 13 Feb 21
       
      Fintech and Regulations
aymanelmamoun

How insurance in Africa can find success | McKinsey - 0 views

www.mckinsey.com/...ance-market-is-set-for-takeoff

Insurance E-Payment Africa FinTech

shared by aymanelmamoun on 13 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • frica is one of the world’s hot regions for insurance. Steady economic growth in most countries combined with a largely underdeveloped insurance sector have positioned the continent as the second-fastest-growing region for insurance globally after Latin America.
    • aymanelmamoun
      aymanelmamoun on 13 Feb 21
       
      Insurance in Africa is considered a priority, thus many companies innovate in this sector by offering the customer the most valuable services.
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