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mohammed_ab

Creating a Strategy for the New FinTech Ecosystem - Belatrix Software - 0 views

  • 1. Millennials squared – a parable of a digital wallet and beer moneyEarlier this year Sam Crowder stood up at a televised baseball game, and held a sign asking his Mum to send him “beer money”. He included his Venmo account information. Thousands of people sent him money, as his sign went viral. Beyond sharing this story as advice in case you ́re ever thirsty and leave your wallet at home, what it reflects is how the use of new technologies may start with digital natives, but then rapidly spread to other generations. It reflects the inter-generational adoption of, and use of, FinTech technologies.So, when looking at the potential of new services, it is important not just to consider the young people who will adopt it. But what will happen when they introduce the technology to their friends and family. Millennials are the earthquake that shakes companies, and adopt new tech and services at lightning speed. The rest of us are the tsunami of adoption that follows and lead to exponential growth.
  • 2. Facebook, Amazon, Google or Ant Financial will become the largest retail bank in the worldIt’s 2020 and to apply for a loan, instead of going to your local bank branch, you quickly ask Facebook for approval. This is far from fanciful thinking. Even as of today, PayPal is arguably one of the largest retail banks — it has more money in deposits than all but the largest 20 US banks, and offers services from payments, to loans and credit cards (albeit currently via partners). But we believe that one of the major tech companies, whether that is Facebook, Amazon, Google, or Ant Financial (the financial arm of Alibaba) will not only transform retail banking, but rapidly become the largest retail bank in the world.“Some bankers and analyststhink that Google, Facebook, Amazon or the like will not fully enter a highly regulated, low-margin business such as banking. I disagree. What is more, I think banks that are not prepared for such new competitors face certain death”Francisco González, CEO, BBVA
  • hese major tech companies have the platform and the scale to upend retail banking. They already have a digital wallet which underlies the services that enable users to buy and sell on their platforms, such as Google Wallet and Amazon Payments. Facebook Messenger Pay is already available in the US while it recently received an e-money license from the Central Bank of Ireland. This means European users will be able to store and transfer money, and make online purchases. The transition to becoming the largest retail bank in the world will be swift and brutal for traditional banks.
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  • 3. Regulators finally make the pivot to supporting the FinTech ecosystemBitX, a bitcoin startup in Singapore, was looking to enter the UK and European markets. Instead of having an arduous journey gaining the required licenses and approvals as it would have expected in the past, BitX was accepted into the regulatory sandbox of the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority. This enabled it to test its services and build its product with the backing of the regulator. This kind of thinking reflects how in the past few years we have seen regulators move from hindering innovation and new services, to proactively supporting and strengthening the FinTech ecosystem.It is a challenging line to take, particularly in the
  • world of finance – to help create the framework and environment for innovation, while also protecting consumers and businesses. However, increasingly we see regulators getting this blend right.For example, the European Union’s Directive on Payment Services (PSD2) will create an EU-wide single market for payments. This will drive new opportunities and innovation in the payment sector, because it will force financial institutions to provide secure access for a third-party service provider to a customer’s online account. Meanwhile, we have seen regulatory sandboxes emerge not just in the UK, but in locations from Singapore to Australia. The US Treasury meanwhile recently announced it will start issuing special purpose national bank charters to FinTech companies.In the future, expect to see the emergence of “RegTech”. This will enable real-time interaction and analysis between regulators and financial institutions. Indeed, thi
  • ch as in New York, London or Singapore. So, although the UK dominates the world of fintech (generating an estimated £6.6billion in FinTech related revenue), leading organizations are looking for inspiration among the innovative services, products and ideas being created from Guadalajara, to Laos, to Kenya.In many cases we can see that the unique financial environment of these locations is resulting in novel ideas. For example, Guadalajara based start-up Kueski uses a person’s digital footprint to assess their credit worthiness – a particular challenge in Mexico where credit is not available to large swathes of the population. In Latin America Tigo Cash is a mobile financial service which already handles more cash than many financial institutions in the region. We will see markets and services emerging which are currently not on anyone’s map, and become some of the most important financial organizations in the world.
    • samiatazi
       
      this article points out 4 expectations for the fate of FinTech and Financial services. However, I think that the most interesting one is the last one which states that The effect of FinTech advancement is frequently made and experienced outside the usual Hub of Finance, for example, New York, London or Singapore. Giant Companies are searching for inspiration among innovative and creative products, items and thoughts being made from Guadalajara, to Laos, to Kenya. I really like this part too, stating that We will see markets and administrations arising which are as of now not on anybody's guide, and become the absolute most significant Fintechs on the planet.
  • software platform between itself and the banks, so it can view and analyze information in real-time.4. Look beyond the hubs to find innovative ideasAcross Kenya, mobile money has become ubiquitous – being used by at least one person in 96% of Kenyan households. But what is the real impact of mobile money in such countries? One study estimated that M-PESA, the Kenyan mobile money system which enables money to be stored on a phone and be sent via text, has helped lift 2% of Kenyan households out of poverty.What this example demonstrates is that the impact of FinTech innovation is often created and experienced outside of the usual hubs of finance su
  • In the past few years we have seen the rapid evolution of FinTech from generating novel ideas which solve customer problems, to offering core financial services. We have seen the shift from digital startups, characterized by a lack of financial wherewithal and which operated on the edge of tightly regulated markets, to the emergence of mature financial digital organizations at the heart of the traditional financial world.We can describe the development and maturing of FinTech in 3 main waves:The early emergence of digital startups helping consumers. Originally FinTech solutions were the preserve of B2C markets which solved specific customer problems such as offering home loans faster and easier. They used new technologies such as mobile and cloud computing, and were characterized by a laser focus on the customer with all the hall-marks of a digital Silicon-Valley style start-up.Transition to B2B markets. Today FinTech plays a role at the core of B2B innovation in financial markets, and industry observers widely expect B2B FinTech revenues to dwarf those in consumer markets within the next couple of years. Organizations such as Currency Cloud (cross border B2B payments), Payoneer Escrow (escrow services), and Hummingbill (B2B invoice platform) all reflect a maturing industry.The creation of an ecosystem between FinTech and traditional players. FinTech organizations are realizing that the required go-to-market investment, economies of scale, and regulatory needs, means it makes sense to partner with traditional financial institutions. On the other side, established players recognize the value, innovation and potential of FinTech in a world which is increasingly mobile-first. These financial institutions are also adopting many of the methods that FinTechs use so successfully, from a focus on the customer, to using Agile software development, to holding hackathons, and forming accelerators and innovation programs.
    • sawsanenn
       
      This excerpt is important because it shows the three waves that each fintech companies go through. Currently, most companies are still in b2b markets which an new innovative role in the financial markets; howver, not all companies are doing the same thing. Some of them still need a real bank ( Not virtual) to make transactions and don't trust softwares.
  • ch as in New York, London or Singapore. So, although the UK dominates the world of fintech (generating an estimated £6.6billion in FinTech related revenue), leading organizations are looking for inspiration among the innovative services, products and ideas being created from Guadalajara, to Laos, to Kenya.In many cases we can see that the unique financial environment of these locations is resulting in novel ideas. For example, Guadalajara based start-up Kueski uses a person’s digital footprint to assess their credit worthiness – a particular challenge in Mexico where credit is not available to large swathes of the population. In Latin America Tigo Cash is a mobile financial service which already handles more cash than many financial institutions in the region. We will see markets and services emerging which are currently not on anyone’s map, and become some of the most important financial organizations in the world.
    • ghtazi
       
      What this example shows is that beyond the usual finance hubs, such as in New York, London, or Singapore, the influence of FinTech innovation is also generated and experienced.
  • It’s 2020 and to apply for a loan, instead of going to your local bank branch, you quickly ask Facebook for approval. This is far from fanciful thinking. Even as of today, PayPal is arguably one of the largest retail banks — it has more money in deposits than all but the largest 20 US banks, and offers services from payments, to loans and credit cards (albeit currently via partners). But we believe that one of the major tech companies, whether that is Facebook, Amazon, Google, or Ant Financial (the financial arm of Alibaba) will not only transform retail banking, but rapidly become the largest retail bank in the world.
  •  
    This article explains how the big e-commerce giant Amazon and the dominant social media platforms will become the largest retail banks in the future. I think that M-Pesa could benefit from strategic alliances or partnerships with these big giants.
mehdibella

JUMO Empowers Asian And African Market With Over $2.5 Billion, Eyes Nigeria, 2 Others - 2 views

  • JUMO also has a mobile wallet technology that offers an easy-to-use service that is accessible via mobile devices.Watkins-Ball commented on the cost-effective technology used to collect information which strengthened the business model, He said: “When we founded JUMO, we were always clear that we can only achieve our mission by leveraging sophisticated information technologies at really low cost.
  • JUMO Empowers Asian And African Market With Over $2.5 Billion, Eyes Nigeria, 2 Others
  • JUMO is one of South Africa’s next-generation fintech companies offering emerging market entrepreneurs financial services.
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  • The tech startup was built as a unique platform to help facilitate digital financial services such as credit, and savings in emerging markets, and has handed out over $1.8 billion prior to date since its founding in London in 2015.
    • mehdibella
       
      it has partnered with telecommunications companies, funders, and banks, to create accessible financial tools, and insurance products targeted at entrepreneurs in emerging markets, and also offers accessible financial services to both Asia and Africa's unbanked populations.
  • “We’re optimistic about the  possibilities in these markets and continue to see huge growth  opportunities in Africa, with the potential to replicate our successes  in other markets over the longer term.”
    • mehdibella
       
      Jumo also hopes to explore the Indian, Nigerian, and Ivorian markets in no distant future.
  • JUMO Empowers Asian And African Market With Over $2.5 Billion, Eyes Nigeria, 2 Others
  • JUMO is one of South Africa’s next-generation fintech companies offering emerging market entrepreneurs financial services.
    • samiatazi
       
      Jumo won many awards all over the worlds and grants that will help it as a company to grow and expand its business into other countries
  • The tech startup was built as a unique platform to help facilitate digital financial services such as credit, and savings in emerging markets, and has handed out over $1.8 billion prior to date since its founding in London in 2015.
  •  
    I like the way that JUMO is clear about delivering a great technology with a low cost! I think that Fintechs must act based on this logic.
mbellakbail69

South African fintech JUMO scooped up $55 million in funding - 0 views

  • JUMO offers a wide range of services to users in emerging markets via partnerships with other financial institutions
    • nourserghini
       
      Jumo delivers services to third parties in emerging markets using partnership with other financial institutions.
  • JUMO offers financial services infrastructure to third parties and has served over 15 million customers across countries, including Ghana, Kenya, Pakistan, and Tanzania, and it plans to use the fresh capital to launch new products and expand into new markets: It's set to launch in Bangladesh, India, Côte d'Ivoire, and Nigeria soon, per its website.
    • nourserghini
       
      The article shows that Jumo specializes in financial services infrastructure to third parties. It operates in African countries such as Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania.
  • South African fintech JUMO scooped up $55 million in funding
    • nourserghini
       
      Jumo's original location is in South Africa.
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  • And while JUMO is focused on serving customers in emerging markets, it should use the fresh captial to offer more consumer products, like loan products, to better close the financial inclusion gap in these regions.
  • JUMO's partners include Telenor and Telenor Microfinance Bank, with which it launched its first commercial product in Asia in 2018, and Tigo, Airtel, and MTN with which it offers short-term loans in Kenya, Zambia, and Uganda. With help of the latest funding, JUMO will be able to further boost such partnerships, and become a more dominant player in the financial services industries in emerging markets.
    • mehdibella
       
      jUMO is focused on serving customers in emerging markets, it should use the fresh captial to offer more consumer products
  • JUMO offers this technology stack to partners, including telecommunication firms and other financial institutions, to power their financial products and serve consumers via their respective platforms.
  • The fintech's technology stack includes a lending product that gives entrepreneurs quick access to funds or asset finance, and JUMO has so far disbursed over $1.8 billion in loans. It also provides savings options to clients, including short-term, structure, and long-term products, and works together with underwriters and insurers to create standalone insurance products to "safeguard incomes, families, assets, and businesses".
    • ghtazi
       
      JUMO has already distributed 1.8 billion USD loans, it gives also the possibility to its users to have savings options to clients, including short term, structure, and long-term products. The company also ensures the creation of standalone insurance products.
  • JUMO's debt and equity round included participation from both new and existing investors, like Goldman Sachs, Odey Asset Management, and Leapfrog Investments, per TechStartups.com.
    • nouhaila_zaki
       
      This excerpt is important because it reflects the nature of funding that Jumo secures whether through debt or equity; new or existing investors.
  • JUMO's business model of working with third parties helps it to diversify its distribution channels, and allows for quicker expansion — which is likely boosting investor interest in the fintech. To further diversify its offering, and make a bigger impact on serving the financially excluded population in emerging markets, JUMO should look into offering more consumer products, including loan options and bank accounts, as most of its offerings currently focus on serving entrepreneurs and businesses.
    • nouhaila_zaki
       
      This excerpt is important because first it clearly states the business model of Jumo. Then, it discusses the possibilities of (geographical) expansion and diversification of offerings (more consumer products, loan options, bank accounts etc).
  • JUMO's business model of working with third parties helps it to diversify its distribution channels, and allows for quicker expansion — which is likely boosting investor interest in the fintech. To further diversify its offering, and make a bigger impact on serving the financially excluded population in emerging markets, JUMO should look into offering more consumer products, including loan options and bank accounts, as most of its offerings currently focus on serving entrepreneurs and businesses.
    • sawsanenn
       
      this excerpt included the services that jumo offers, the business model, and some recommendation that the company should consider improving the platform
  • Additionally, only 27% of the population in Southeast Asia has a bank account, leaving a financial inclusion gap of around 438 million consumers. And we've seen fintechs that aim to close this gap attract significant investor interest in the past year: Investment in African fintechs increased by 155% from $111 million in 2018, to $283 million, while Southeast Asian fintechs saw funding surge of 69% from $588 million to $993 million over the same period, per CB Insights.
sawsanenn

Frontiers | FinTech: A New Hedge for a Financial Re-intermediation. Strategy and Risk P... - 0 views

  • FinTechs and the Value Chains in the Financial IndustryIt is beneficial to remember how things worked before and after FinTechs and TechFins or big techs in the financial industry.Banking models are shifting significantly from a pipeline, vertical, paradigm, to modular solutions that pave the way to new banking paradigms that entail higher levels of openness toward third parties and a growing number of modular services bundled together.Value is created in platforms through economies of scope in production and innovation (Gawer, 2014). In order for platforms to work, adoption and network effects are essential. Models can go to mere compliance with the prescriptions of openness of PSD2, to the inclusion of new services, the opening of the banking core and data, and the aggregation of those within a platform experience. In particular, we assist both to the evolution of a Bank-as-a-Platform model and a tech-platform-driven model supporting banking and financial intermediation, which both constitute a new interesting field of analysis.Since the wave of digital transformation started entering the financial industr
  • , banking-as-a-business has started moving from a product/service perspective to more contextual solutions where providers are customer needs-driven. This is because customer-driven companies outperform the shareholder-driven ones, and this requires an outside-in approach.Having said that, it is beneficial to remember that digital transformation implies four main categories of innovation (product, process, organizational and business model) (Omarini, 2019, p. 340); all of them require rediscovering that a new strategy paradigm exists. This regards the concept of co-creation, and because of this no single firm can unilaterally carry out a process of continuous experimentation, risk reduction, time compression, and minimizing investment while maximizing market impact. Co-creation requires access to resources from extended networks (suppliers, partners, and consumer communities).Under these new market conditions, FinTechs have become an important piece of a bigger puzzle, each one in its own area of business (payment, lending, etc.), while at the beg
  • inning most of them started as mono-business companies. Only a few of them may become leaders in the market. On the one hand, there are those that make their strategy become international, and on the other, there are FinTechs which enlarge their services-scopes. However, the majority of them will become part of ecosystems where the direction could swing from banks to tech companies or to FinTechs as well, able to manage the network by developing kinds of conglomerate-as-a-service.Another interesting point to outline regards this recent period where all of us have experienced lockdowns around the world, and some effects have also impacted FinTechs as well. The valuations of most unicorns have crashed overnight, while on the FinTechs side there are different situations. Some of them have experienced a dramatic reduction in their
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  • strategy development process, especially when the various units and individuals in the network must collectively execute that strategy. The key issue is this: balancing act between collaborating and competing is delicate and crucial” (Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004, p. 197).If co-creation is fundamental to the industry, this needs to leverage on a wider customer perspective that requires introducing the idea of developing ecosystems where the customer is truly free to move and choose the best deal in more competitive markets able to let consumers' ability to make informed decisions against any possible market concentrations among market providers.A business ecosystem (Moore, 1996) reflects the new paradigm of competition in a better way. Traditional management models aimed at gaining competitive advantage, such as vertical or horizontal integration, economies of scale and scope, are not effective anymore. The value of today's companies is determined by the size of its ecosystem (Tewari, 2014). Business ecosystems consist in crossovers of a variety of industries, of which companies cooperate and embrace open innovation to satisfy new customers' needs an
    • samiatazi
       
      Digital transformation implies four main categories of innovation: product, process, organizational and business model. FinTechs have become a significant piece of a greater riddle, every one in its own zone of business. The victors are those that have sufficient liquidity and money to purchase great innovation. This is particularly valid for installments that will be progressively contactless. Individuals costs and per-client commitment edge are key elements, and important markers. The more wellsprings of incomes an organization holds, the better it is for it to be a FinTech.
  • evaluation, others were quite lucky and suffered less.There are many and different feelings on the way FinTechs will exit this situation, which as far as we understand has overall accelerated some strategic choices.First of all, there are many and different FinTechs in the market. What is critical is to look at the fundamentals of the business. All of them are about answering what society is going to look like in the future (attitudes, behaviors, habits, etc.), so that if we no longer need to go to retail stores anymore, why do we need some services based on this situation? This, again, underlines that banking is a people business (Omarini, 2015) and this requires a business to be resilient to become adaptive to consumer changes or moves into a different market where you can still apply the service because the society is not yet ready to shift somewhere else, which means the same business in different markets. Just think of the ongoing situation where the recent wave of people is rethinking and restructuring their finances, so that they have decided to switch rates to digital banks. In this scenario, the winners are those that have enough liquidity—or better still cash-rich—to buy good technology and invest in new directions, also taking the opportunity to use the pandemic to its advantage. This is especially true for payments that are going to be increasingly contactless. However, some more les
  • sons can be learnt from difficult times especially due to external factors such as the following:- People costs and per-customer contribution margin are key factors, and valuable indicators. They are valuable for incumbents too. When staff costs rise, then this becomes a burden if growth is not going to move on. Then, if we move on the per-customer contribution margin (revenue, minus variable costs including credit losses), then this makes a FinTech earn more money per bank account than the cost of running those bank accounts.- One more point has to do with the way a FinTech makes its revenues per customer, and net income is the figure to look out for here. This means that the more sources of revenues a company holds, the better it is for it. If we think of some of the best-known FinTechs, they gather their net income from interchange fees, ATM withdrawals, which can diminish during the pandemic, but gathering revenues from other sources such as lending, investing, or again from referring customers to third-party services, and earning commissions from these referrals.Under this oncoming market structure configuration, a focus on control and ownership of resources is giving way to the importance of accessing and leveraging resources through unique ways of collaboration. “The co-creation process also challenges the assumption that only the firm's aspirations matter. (…) Every participant in the experience network collaborates in value creation and competes in value extraction. This result in constant tension in the
  • One more point has to do with the way a FinTech makes its revenues per customer, and net income is the figure to look out for here. This means that the more sources of revenues a company holds, the better it is for it. If we think of some of the best-known FinTechs, they gather their net income from interchange fees, ATM withdrawals, which can diminish during the pandemic, but gathering revenues from other sources such as lending, investing, or again from referring customers to third-party services, and earning commissions from these referrals.
    • hichamachir
       
      Pula can benefit so much from expanding its revenues streams. It lets the customers use the product or service in different ways which can't make them feel lazy to use a specific way.
  • The emergence of new technologies and players, along with a favorable regulatory framework (PSD2 Directive), is changing the banking industry. FinTechs and TechFins have allowed the introduction of new services and changed the way customers interact to satisfy their financial needs. The FinTech landscape is constantly evolving in the market. Different business value propositions are entering the financial services industry, moving from increasing the user's experience to developing a time to market framework for banks to innovate products, processes, and channels, increasing the cost efficiency and looking for a “partnering on order” to lighten the regulatory burdens for banks. The many businesses of banks are changing their value chains, and banks' business models should do the same accordingly. Strategists could no longer take their value chains as a given; choices have to be made on what needs to be protected and maintained, what abandoned and the new on coming to make banks evolve and become more resilient in doing their job. Banking is shifting significantly from a pipeline, vertical paradigm, to open banking business models where open innovation, modularity, and ecosystem-based bank's business model may become the ongoing mainstream and paradigm to follow and develop. Opportunities and threats for banks are many and new ones to re-gaining their role in the market throughout a re-intermediation process.
    • ghtazi
       
      FinTechs and TechFins have enabled new services to be launched and changed the way clients communicate to meet their financial needs. In the industry, the FinTech landscape is continuously changing.
  • They have brought to the traditional banking industry a wave of competition and broken pipeline value chains, unbundling them into different modules of products or services, which may be combined among themselves. These companies on the one hand and the BigTechs (Google, Facebook, Apple, Samsung, Alibaba, etc.) on the other have been forcing the industry to change, transform, and evolve in a set of new financial intermediation directions. Use of data and customer experience are both FinTechs' major assets and threats as well. On the one hand, they please the customers as individuals and introduce the paradigm of contextual banking. On the other, the two selling points are threatening both the incumbent players and regulators in different ways. For banks, it is even more urgent to react actively because their “no fee zone” is expanding, due to new regulations from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus (CFPB) and similar entities in different countries.
    • sawsanenn
       
      Since the digitalization wave entered the banking industry, financial institutions has begun to move from a product/service standpoint to more semantic alternatives where suppliers are pushed by customer needs. This is because the customer-driven firms outclass the investor ones, and this necessitates an outside strategy.
nouhaila_zaki

Egypt: Fawry expected to join FTSE, MSCI Indices in 2021 | african markets - 0 views

  • Fawry for Banking and Payment Technology Services (FWRY) is forecast to join the FTSE and MSCI emerging markets indices in September 2021, according to a research by Arqaam Capital. The company meets the liquidity requirements, which ensures inclusion in the FTSE EM All Cap Index’s next rebalancing on 21 September, with a weight of 0.0082%. In January, Fawry’s board of directors approved to subscribe to the capital increase of Fawry Plus, as the company will be allowed to subscribe up to EGP 35 million. During the first nine months of 2020, Fawry achieved a consolidated net profit before minority interest of EGP 119.2 million.
    • nouhaila_zaki
       
      This excerpt is important because it reflects Fawry's position in the stock market and how its liquidity allows it to perhaps be included in the FTSE EM All Cap Index's nxt rebalancing. Moreover, the article introduces the consolidated net profit secured by Fawry in the first nine months of 2020, which amounts to EGP 119.2 million.
  •  
    "Fawry for Banking and Payment Technology Services (FWRY) is forecast to join the FTSE and MSCI emerging markets indices in September 2021, according to a research by Arqaam Capital.   The company meets the liquidity requirements, which ensures inclusion in the FTSE EM All Cap Index's next rebalancing on 21 September, with a weight of 0.0082%. In January, Fawry's board of directors approved to subscribe to the capital increase of Fawry Plus, as the company will be allowed to subscribe up to EGP 35 million.   During the first nine months of 2020, Fawry achieved a consolidated net profit before minority interest of EGP 119.2 million. "
kenza_abdelhaq

Digital Innovation in Emerging Markets: A Case Study of Mobile Money | MIT CISR - 0 views

  • We describe the success of M-PESA in Kenya and the subsequent disappointment when M-PESA was replicated in Tanzania. We show how emerging markets are likely to be more different from than similar to one another. Thus, companies should consider a strategy of exploration as they attempt to expand within emerging markets. 
  • In 2008, a year after launching in Kenya, Vodafone attempted to replicate this success in neighboring Tanzania, a country that resembled Kenya in many important ways—size of population (40+ million) and main languages spoken (Swahili and English), as well as levels of literacy, unbanked, and mobile phone usage. But M-PESA in Tanzania did not grow on anything like the scale and scope of M-PESA in Kenya
  • M-PESA was initially developed by Vodafone as a mobile-based, microfinancing application funded partially by the UK Department for International Development to extend financial access to the unbanked populations in East Africa.
    • kenza_abdelhaq
       
      Developed by the mobile telecommunications company Vodafone, M-Pesa was first a microfinancing solution promoting financial inclusion in East Africa.
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  • Managed by the corporate social responsibility (CSR) group within Vodafone, M-PESA was designed for a niche market: microfinancing institutions and their clients. The project was intended to be low-cost, low-key, small in scale, and modest in scope—focused on addressing issues of financial inclusion within the developing world. 
    • kenza_abdelhaq
       
      M-Pesa's niche market: microfinancing institutions and their clients.
  • The redesigned M-PESA system launched in Kenya in April 2007, growing rapidly through uptake and user innovation of new services. Now used by over 17 million Kenyans—which is more than two-thirds of the adult population—it is estimated that annually some 31% of the country’s GDP flows through it.
    • kenza_abdelhaq
       
      - Important customer reach. - Facilitates the transfer of funds as 31% of the country's GDP flows through the platform.
  •  
    I think that this article shows something very important that we should into consideration in our capstone research. It shows how the same service was launched in very similar African countries, yet the penetration and growth results were far from the same. It's important because it shows that if we want to use a fintech strategy followed by a foreign company to an African one, it could result in very bad consequences even if this same strategy works for the foreign company.
  •  
    "M-PESA was initially developed by Vodafone as a mobile-based, microfinancing application funded partially by the UK Department for International Development to extend financial access to the unbanked populations in East Africa. Managed by the corporate social responsibility (CSR) group within Vodafone, M-PESA was designed for a niche market: microfinancing institutions and their clients. The project was intended to be low-cost, low-key, small in scale, and modest in scope-focused on addressing issues of financial inclusion within the developing world. "
sawsanenn

Jumo - LeapFrog Investments - 1 views

  • 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
       
      I think that this is a very smart move since it will help the company to grow and spur financial inclusion across Africa.
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  • 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
       
      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
       
      we can conclude that Jumo offers diversified financial services that are affordable to their customer's target which is mainly new entrepreneurs
  •  
    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.
  •  
    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
  •  
    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.
kenza_abdelhaq

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

  • 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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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.
nouhaila_zaki

JUMO.WORLD: About | LinkedIn - 0 views

  • JUMO is a financial technology company that partners with banks, MNOs and other e-commerce players to deliver progressive financial choices to customers in emerging markets across Africa and Asia. At JUMO we connect people to opportunities. Two billion people worldwide have limited access to formal financial services such as borrowing and saving. We’ve built a large-scale, multi-sided technology platform and designed progressive financial choices to reach them. We use their digital footprint to create a financial identity using only behavioural data. Our customers are in emerging markets across Africa and Asia. Most of them are micro and small to medium enterprises who need instant access to finance so they can grow and invest. So far we’ve served more than 10 million customers and disbursed over 40 million loans – and the numbers are rising daily.
    • nouhaila_zaki
       
      This excerpt provides us with a great overview about Jumo. It describes Jumo as a financial technology company that has different partners in several fields. Thereafter, it describes the Jumo's customer base (people who don't have access to formal financial services, who live in emerging markets in Africa and Asia, and who have micro/small/medium enterprises they need to finance), and explains how the company tries to reach its audience.
mehdibella

Fintech for Financial Inclusion & Empowerment | JUMO - 0 views

  • JUMO partnered with Uber to create JUMO Drive, a first-of-its-kind digital vehicle asset finance product for rideshare drivers.
  • JUMO partnered with Telenor and Telenor Microfinance bank to launch the first commercial product in Asia.
  • 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.
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • The use of digital savings, by JUMO in Tanzania and Zambia, grew rapidly.
    • mehdibella
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      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
       
      Jumo is powering new waves of financial tools that can help entrepreneurs to build and grow their business
  •  
    Parentships always help a business to improve and grow. Jumo is expanding its service to satisfy everyone.
  •  
    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.
ghtazi

JUMO.WORLD | LinkedIn - 0 views

  • Our customers are in emerging markets across Africa and Asia. Most of them are micro and small to medium enterprises who need instant access to finance so they can grow and invest. So far we’ve served more than 10 million customers and disbursed over 40 million loans – and the numbers are rising daily.
    • ghtazi
       
      target customers are the ones living in the emerging markets across Africa and Asia. Most of these are micro, small to medium enterprise who wants to have instant access to finance.
mohammed_ab

#40Days40FinTechs: JUMO is offering social impact financial products to the unbanked. |... - 1 views

  • The HiPipo chief executive officer Innocent Kawooya expressed his excitement about JUMO’s financial inclusion efforts, saying that its products are taking a lead in democratising lending and borrowing.“We are excited to interact with JUMO, a company that is enhancing financial inclusion in over 10 countries and serving more than 16 million customers.”
  • Reimagining finance in emerging markets by extending financial services to the underserved and the excluded has been JUMO’s goal since inception.
  • Reimagining finance in emerging markets by extending financial services to the underserved and the excluded has been JUMO’s goal since inception. This explains why it chose to specialize in social impact financial products where small businesses that are financially excluded can access loans and savings products.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • During the same period, they have disbursed over $1 billion and record over 51 million interactions with customers monthly.  Over 120 million people have been connected to financial choices while the cost of transaction has been reduced significantly.
  •  
    JUMO's great job made other companies to be proud of making a partnership with them. This is a good example of a successful company.
  •  
    I like the service Jumo offers. The company provides loans to small businesses and SMEs that have difficulties accessing financial services. It's amazing to see the number of transactions they have made during one year.
hindelquarrouti

South African fintech Jumo raises $55 million in Goldman-led funding - 0 views

  • The startup will use the proceeds from the funding to expand into new markets and launch new products. Jumo is targeting entrepreneurs in emerging markets — and plans to offer next-generation savings, lending and insurance products to them. 
  • The startup currently operates in five African countries — Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Zambia and Tanzania. It closely works with financial firms and telecoms to provide its services, media reports said. 
  •  
    Jumo received an amount of $55 million in founding, and it will use them in order to penetrate new emerging markets; as well as, introducing new products that will increase customer's satisfaction.
samiatazi

Fintech strategy sets off revolution in banking sector - MeilleureBanque.com - 0 views

  • Fintech, at the heart of the banking sector revolutionObviously, Fintechs and traditional banks adopt very different strategies. Indeed, while traditional institutions have a long-term vision (analysis of the financial market, risk amortization), neobanks prefer immediate action.Thus, we can consider that there are two categories of Fintech on the market. On the one hand, regulated companies that ensure compliance with regulatory constraints, and on the other, those that adopt a completely different strategy based on customer satisfaction.The first category positions itself as a direct competitor of banking establishments, while the second opts for cooperation and encourages the buyout or majority stake.Fintechs base their strategy on customer dissatisfaction, especially with their bank . These new shoots seek to improve every aspect of the banking relationship, as a priority, by neglecting issues related to organization, compliance and profitability.However, professionals remain skeptical. Do these FinTechs really hope to succeed in a few months, where several players have been striving for years? By this we mean the fact of wanting to change the regulations of the sector or even the constitution of a team of experts within a short time.So far, experts in the banking industry doubt a real revolution in banking regulation.Traditional banks remain priority players in the marketDespite the emergence of remote banking and the new measure on banking mobility , traditional banks remain the majority players in the market. Indeed, new brands are still struggling to reach the same level as a "real" bank.In addition, for the time being, income from investment funds and venture capitalists has not been of much use to the banking sector. Remember, however, that it is thanks to them that certain brands such as Uber, Amazon or Tesla have succeeded.Today, players in e-commerce are using capital increases to compensate for losses, a technique that has not yet been adopted in the banking sector. As a starting point, SoftBank has already started by building up a $ 100 billion fund for banking technology.
    • samiatazi
       
      Yves Smith reports: Fintech and conventional banks are taking very various tactics. Traditional banks remain market leading players. The long-term view of traditional institutions and neo-banks favor urgent intervention. The SoftBank has already begun to develop a $100 trillion bank technology fund, and that FinTechs seek to enhance every part of banking by neglecting organization, security and profitability problems. He said that conventional banks fail to achieve the same level as a "real" bank, and risk capitalists were not very useful.
ghtazi

Financial Services & Banking Technology | JUMO - 0 views

  • Get the ability to provide banking services to people who were previously unreachable, thanks to a lower cost of risk and the ability to accurately predict future behaviour.
  • Unlock the value of individuals’ digital footprints and power a generation of entrepreneurs, small businesses and communities with real financial choice.
    • kenzabenessalah
       
      JUMO not only provides fast, secure, and cost-effective financial services, but it is able to give an opportunity to entrepreneurs who are new to the market to invest and make money.
  • Credit Our lending products give entrepreneurs quick access to funds or asset finance. The loan amount, life cycle and repayment method can be configured to fit the needs of the individual. Savings JUMO builds and operates short-term, structured and long-term savings products that bear interest. They’re available to anyone who needs a safe place to store and grow their money. Insurance JUMO is able to work with underwriters and insurers to create standalone or wrapped insurance products to safeguard incomes, families, assets and businesses, no matter how small. Points We’re developing a white label points programme that can be used as a tool to drive and incentivise mobile transactions and empower people to build a personal, digital financial profile.
    • ghtazi
       
      in this article, we can see all of the financial services that jumo is offering. they presented a new wave of financial products such as credit, saving, insurance, and points. this website shows us how Jumo has redefined the banking service for a mobile, digital age, and has built a full technology stack to create financial services for everybody.
  • ...2 more annotations...
    • aminej
       
      This website shows that JUMO is a service that provides insurance, savings and lendings to entrepreneurs in developping countries. There are five different types of services like credit, savings, insurance and points for loyal customers. It is a very safe service backed with advanced data engine and end to end banking technology. Finally, their main customer target are entrepreneurs and people who want to start their own business and who own a phone.
  • This cloud and AI-powered technology stack connects banks with traditionally inaccessible customers in cost-effective, low-risk and responsible ways. Today our partners deploy loans, savings and insurance services from Africa to Asia, helping entrepreneurs in emerging markets to grow and prosper.
    • ghtazi
       
      in this article, it shows that JUMO ensures security and low risks to its customer. it aims to deploy loans, savings, and insurance services from across the globe so that it can help entrepreneurs with their projects in emerging markets.
mohammed_ab

Jumo Pitches Its Fintech Services at the Global SME Finance Forum 2018 | SME Finance Forum - 1 views

  • During the Global SME Finance Forum 2018, Jumo's Martin Vogdt, Chief Product Officer, demoed the company's services at the TechPitch on November 6.  Jumo is an alternative lender in Africa and Asia providing nano loans to consumers and MSMEs through mobile money rails. The Forum's TechPitch provided an opportunity for 13 innovative fintechs to demo their product to global and emerging market investment firms, financial institutions and other Forum participants. This exclusive opportunity is one of the key features of the conference and is open to a limited number of financial technology innovators working in the SME space.
  • Jumo is an alternative lender in Africa and Asia providing nano loans to consumers and MSMEs through mobile money rails.
  •  
    JUMO is participating in forums with the aim of improving the entrepreneurial skills of SME. This shows that JUMO cares about the improvement of other companies in order to develop the Fintech market.
  •  
    This excerpt highlights the main product offerings of JUMO.
hindelquarrouti

The Rise of the Robo-advisor: How Fintech Is Disrupting Retirement - Knowledge@Wharton - 2 views

  • Robos came on the scene about a decade ago, and two early startups were Wealthfront and Betterment. Today, there are dozens of robos in the market, Fisch said. There are pure robo services, as well as those that offer the option of talking to a human advisor, with or without an extra fee. Since they’re automated, robos can more easily avoid conflicts of interest that could beset a human advisor, who might push investments that pay the highest commissions.
    • kenzabenessalah
       
      Having Robo-advisors in EasyEquities would prevent the risk of having conflicts with "human" advisors. Digital assistance is the key.
  • Robo fees can range from zero — if the investor has less than $10,000 to invest — to as high as 0.89% of assets under $1 million in some cases, said Brett Hammond, research leader of Capital Group. But 0.25% to 0.30% of assets is more typical, he added. (The fee is on top of the cost of the investment itself.) As for performance, it’s a mixed bag with some robos doing better than others, Hammond said. The big question is how they will do in the long run, especially during a big market crash, since they don’t have an extended track record yet. “We don’t know in a complete cycle what these [robos] are going to deliver,” he said. “The real issue is, does it improve outcomes?”
    • nouhaila_zaki
       
      This excerpt is important because, on the one hand, it introduces us to the fees that can be charged by Robo-advisors. On the other, performance is hard to measure for robo-advisors since nobody knows how the will behave in the long run and in severe circumstances i.e. a market crash.
  • Artificial intelligence is changing the world of retirement planning. By using improved datasets and algorithms to efficiently deliver solutions tailored to people’s needs, AI can help them save, invest and retire better. One of the hottest trends to emerge in this area in recent years is the use of robo-advisors. These are software programs that use the data supplied by clients to create and automatically manage their investment portfolios
    • kenza_abdelhaq
       
      The use of Robo Advisors alongside artificial intelligence could be used by different fintech companies and in different fields like for investments, portfolio management or retirement planning.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • One of the hottest trends to emerge in this area in recent years is the use of robo-advisors.
  •  
    It is a very interesting strategy that of benefiting from the use of AI and its advances that include improved datasets and algorithms that efficiently deliver solutions that are appropriate to users need. One of the trend that was raised by this strategy is that of robo-advisors.
tahaemsd

WorldCover Raises $6 Million in Series A Funding to Provide Climate Insurance in Emergi... - 0 views

  • WorldCover has uniquely combined technological advances and developed a solution that allows us to support smallholder farmers caught in conditions that are worsening due to climate change," said Christopher Sheehan, WorldCover CEO and co-founder. “With the rise of many insuretech startups around the world, we are excited about this successful round of Series A funding as it enables us to accelerate growth in existing markets while working towards expansion into new regions. This will allow us to fulfill our ultimate vision of making the world more resilient to climate change”.
    • tahaemsd
       
      worldcover is addressing the 50-100$ Billion in annual losses from natural disasters, of wich less than 1% is insured
omarlahmidi

The Snapscan effect: how mobile payments made QR codes relevant in South Africa - Memeburn - 3 views

  • “Mobile payment systems are quickly becoming mainstream, and it will be fascinating to see how the more mechanical systems like QR Codes compete,” says World Wide Worx managing director Arthur Goldstuck. “Ideally, there should be room for any system, with each one finding its ideal niche. But there are no certainties in a sector that is moving so fast.”
  • According to new research from technology research company World Wide Worx, the format first took off in the country thanks to BlackBerry Messenger, where it became the quickest way to add a friend. In the past year however gained new life as mobile apps like SnapScan roped it in for payments at small merchants, flea markets and the like. By the end of 2014, the research says, more than 2.1-million South Africans were using QR Codes. Of those 1.1-million were male, with female users only marginally behind, at 1.04-million.
    • samielbaqqali
       
      It is not always simple to develop a new concept. The article showed that applications for QR codes were struggling at first, but I believe that in order to offer a new efficient service, you have to work on your concept and develop it, and SnapScan did an excellent job with that.
  • ability to provide speedy payments without the need for the large-scale tech investments required by the payment technologies emerging in more developed areas of the world.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • According to the research, QR Code usage is strongly age-related, with 673 000 users in the peak age group of 25-34. In contrast, the 15-24 segment amounts to only 471 000, while 494 000 are aged from 35 to 44. A similar number (425 000) makes up the 45-65 age group. Usage drops significantly with retirement age: the 65+ age group comprises 88 000 users. One possible reason for QR code mobile payment solutions such as Snapscan, Zappa, and FlickPay being so popular in South Africa is their ability to provide speedy payments without the need for the large-scale tech investments required by the payment technologies emerging in more developed areas of the world. This is especially the case with Snapscan, which supplies its merchants with a point of sale QR code and a basic mobile phone to track payments. This has allowed it, for instance, to be rolled out as parking payment method in Cape Town’s congested CBD.
    • mbellakbail69
       
      Mobile payment systems are becoming popular quickly and the more mechanical systems like QR codes are successful it will be interesting to see. Ideally, I believe that every system should be able to find its ideal niche. But in a market that is evolving so rapidly, there are no certainties.
  • Flash back a few years and things weren’t looking great for QR codes.
  • Over the last year however, that’s changed in South Africa, largely thanks to mobile payment apps like SnapScan.
  • According to new research from technology research company World Wide Worx, the format first took off in the country thanks to BlackBerry Messenger, where it became the quickest way to add a friend. In the past year however gained new life as mobile apps like SnapScan roped it in for payments at small merchants, flea markets and the like.
    • omarlahmidi
       
      SnapScan is a mobile payment that changed South Africa
  •  
    Creating a new idea is not always easy. The article showed that QR codes apps were struggling at first but I do believe that you have to work on your idea and improve it in order to deliver a new efficient service and SnapScan did an amazing job with that.
  •  
    SnapScan made a good move in introducing Fintech to developing countries through using QR codes as they don't necessarily require large-scale tech investments that are used in developed area.
  •  
    In the article, we notice that QR codes struggled at first, but in the end, they did a good job in developing and making their platform better and attractive.
mohammed_ab

The emergence of crypto banking: who is poised for success? | Venture Capital | Fintech... - 1 views

  • Latest figures put the value of the cryptocurrency market at almost $240bn in 2019, nearly double the 2018 figure of $128bn. Could this mean that the global crypto market is starting to move into the mainstream? Significantly, the sector is enjoying rapid growth globally, with the UK, Nigeria, Australia, Canada, Mexico and India all experiencing a recent surge in users. Crypto is also starting to attract interest from institutional investors, which see it as possible insurance against the global rise in quantitative easing.
    • hichamachir
       
      Pula can let successful farmers use cryptocurrencies which will make the company even more digitalized. I know that small scale framers will mostly not understand the concept of cryptocurrencies that's why it can be optional. The idea is to let big farmers that have some cryptocurrencies use it for Pula's service.
  • The big banking brands have shown little interest in cryptocurrency to date. In part, this is due to their general aversion to high levels of risk and an institutionalised culture ill suited to digital change and innovation – but there is also a legitimate fear that they will fall foul of financial regulators. 
  • It stands to reason that cryptocurrency exchanges are well positioned and strongly motivated to exploit the narrowing gap between crypto and fiat – because they have first-move advantage. Having already built huge cash reserves and crypto-familiar customer bases, it would be relatively straightforward technically for them to add on banking services. 
  •  
    M-Pesa could target a new market which is a currency exchange and more specifically cryptocurrencies. This strategy could allow boosting the revenue streams of the company as cryptocurrencies are becoming more used.
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