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Flutterwave and Simbapay are shining examples of this recent development. With Mergims, Sawapay and Sendwave in their back chasing them.

Founded by Nyasinga Onyancha, Simbapay is in London and caters to Kenyan and Nigerian recipients.Countries that can use the service include; the UK, Ireland, Italy, Spain, France and Germany.The platform allows money transfer to a bank account and mobile wallet like M-pesa, Paga or Airtel Money.

Through Xpress Money’s extensive agent partner network, WorldRemit customers will be able to make secure, instant money transfers to be collected as cash. Initial countries in the rollout will include Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Tonga. Over the next few months, customers will also be able to receive money transfers in their bank accounts, mobile wallets, etc. 

tance as easy as sending an instant message.Xpress Money is one of the fastest growing instant money transfer com

Ismail Ahmed, founder and CEO at WorldRemit, comments: “We want to offer our customers the widest and most convenient choice of payout options. Xpress Money is a trusted and dependable money transfer brand with a fantastic network of agents across the world. Our partnership will extend our footprint into new territories and will enable even more people to make secure, instant money transfers.”

Thanks to SnapScan the Feenix community can now make a monthly contribution to fund students.Feenix allows everyday people and businesses to donate what they can so students can graduate and actively participate in our economy. We believe that access to education should not be dependent on wealth. Driven by our community’s commitment to combat student-debt we were inspired to find the safest, easiest and most convenient way for the community to make donations on a monthly basis.  As a result, we have partnered with SnapScan! The innovative mobile payment application that allows funders to make donations quickly. Launched in 2013, SnapScan has changed the way we make payments-one snap at a time!With the snap of the unique Feenix QR code you can make an immediate donation. By scanning the code, you will be given the option to not only make a once-off donation, but also set up a recurring donation from as little as the cost of two coffees, the amount is up to you! Scan Now to start donating monthly.

These recurring SnapScan donations go into the Feenix Pool Fund, the collective fund made up of donations from different funders which is then allocated to students according to the B-BBEE scorecard. Preference is also given to students who are active and involved with Feenix. All funds are paid directly to the applicable universities on a semiannual basis or at the Trustees discretion.You can make a difference today! No need for cash, cards or EFTs. SnapScan enables you to make a simple and safe donation that will alleviate the impact of financial stress on students. The benefit of SnapScan donations means that you can make a donation from wherever you find yourself. You’ll be able to view your recurring donations on the SnapScan app and are free to cancel your monthly donation at any time ensuring that you have control over your contributions.So #JOINTHECROWD and make your donation today. When you donate to the Feenix Pool Fund, you support the vision for a society in which all are able to fulfil their potential regardless of wealth.

SimbaPay (http://www.SimbaPay.com) is revolutionizing the remittance space through its official announcement of raising the single transaction limit to a whopping $45,000. This is substantially higher than the previous transaction limit of $3,000. According to Victor Karanja, Head of Operations at SimbaPay, sending money home and buying property across Africa has just become a whole lot easier. “A pain point for customers in the past has been having to undertake multiple transfers to complete a single purchase.” “A key risk with multiple transfers was exchange rate fluctuation. Sending up to $45,000 with just our mobile app will protect senders from the fluctuation that arises when one splits up the transfer,” said Karanja.

AIRO: There is a growing demand among Egyptian consumers for more convenient payment methods, according to a recent survey conducted by Fawry, the first nationwide electronic payment service in Egypt. Over 90 percent of Egyptians said that saving time was their primary concern when it comes to paying bills.

Ashraf Sabry, CEO of Fawry, said, “Research conducted for Fawry by IPSOS showed that 85.6 percent of respondents surveyed are seeking more efficient payment methods for household bills. The average Egyptian family has between 15 to 17 regular payments to make. These include mobile and landline bills, utilities, insurance, school or university fees and much more.

Fawry was established in response to growing consumer demand for alternative payment methods that simplify the process of receiving bills and paying them. Fawry today has 12,000 Fawry payment points across the country, that form one-stop-shop, instant, multiple-bill payment locations

Firepay launched SnapScan in partnership with Standard Bank in 2014. The SnapScan app allows users to pay for goods and services using only their mobile phone. Today, the company has 32 000 physical and online merchants.

AgroCenta is an innovative online platform that empowers small holder farmers and farmer based organizations in rural farming communities access a wider online market outside their immediate locality to trade fairly and equitably. They can access technological tools and information that will inform them on best farming practices such weather information, market information and finally access to agro inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides and weedicides directly from stakeholders.

AgroCenta is an innovative online platform that empowers small holder farmers and farmer based organizations in rural farming communities access a wider online market outside their immediate locality to trade fairly and equitably. They can access technological tools and information that will inform them on best farming practices such weather information, market information and finally access to agro inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides and weedicides directly from stakeholders.

AgroCenta is an innovative online platform that empowers small holder farmers and farmer based organizations in rural farming communities access a wider online market outside their immediate locality to trade fairly and equitably. They can access technological tools and information that will inform them on best farming practices such weather information, market information and finally access to agro inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides and weedicides directly from stakeholders.

Digital money transfer provider, SimbaPay, has announced the launch of its money transfer service to Nigeria. Using the SimbaPay app or website, Nigerians living in the UK can send money to Nigeria at zero charge using SimbaPay. The payment can be made to any bank account or mobile phone in Nigeria instantly.

SimbaPay (UK, focussed on Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda) – "Send money to family and friends bank accounts or mobile wallets in Africa (from abroad) in a convenient and cheap way. Customers can also use their bill settlement technology to pay merchants in Africa (such as universities, utilities). You can also open a bank account back home using the app".

SimbaPay is a company that develops and provides a money transfer application. Its app enables people to send money abroad using mobile money or e-banking.

MoneyFellows is a collaborative Group Lending and Savings Platform. It is a trusted and more convenient way of finding and managing Money Circles online, by digitizing the traditional, informal offline ROSCA (Rotating Savings and Credit Association) Model, allowing users to meet their financial and saving needs.

The former chief executive and co-founder of nonprofit lending platform Kiva.org, Matt Flannery, on Wednesday revealed his latest initiative Branch International Inc., which he calls “a mobile-based microfinance institution for the world.” Branch raised $1.4 million in equity seed funding from Formation 8 and the Khosla Impact Fund. In many ways, Branch operates like a bank in the cloud, one that is accessible not through local “branch” offices, but through a user’s smartphone. It provides small amounts of credit--up to $20--to Android users in Africa, specifically Kenya today, but doesn’t take deposits.

World Remit. Starting from 2016, it is now possible to use World Remit website and mobile app to send money from Algeria to Malawi and other 150 countries. You can load your World Remit account through World Remit cash collection points, or some local banks in Algeria. Advantages of using World Remit: It is safe and secure.

PayPal. It is not possible to send directly to Malawi using this service with a normal account balance. The balance will need to be withdrawn from a linked bank account. DZ Bank and its branches do issue VISA/MasterCard cards that you can then link to your PayPal account. From there, you can load your PayPal account and send it to anyone in Malawi. 

Mama Money is a company that operates as an international money transfer operator. It offers a mobile app that allows users to send money to their families.

Mr Winter, however, feels security is actually enhanced by the likes of SnapScan and FlickPay, as the customer's credit card is never handled by the merchant so cannot be skimmed or copied. Mr Rusagara says the system is secure for both customer and retailer, with QR codes expiring upon use, or after 90 seconds.

"SnapScan does not charge shoppers any fees. Merchants pay a small transaction fee that is comparable or cheaper than using normal credit card facilities."

SnapScan has always relied on small, cross-functional teams to get things done. We believe that it delivers stronger results than those delivered by bigger teams. You will join a small, highly leveraged technical team that has buy-in and autonomy to solve problems using whatever tools and means are fit for purpose.

For years, Egyptian companies have been paying salaries in cash, and people have been saving money outside banks.  Only 10 percent of Egyptians have bank accounts, according to Payfort’s State of Payments in the Arab World 2014 report. Over the previous decade, the electronic payment market has been penetrated by two firms: state-owned e-Finance, which handles electronic payments from and to the government through banking channels, and private-sector Fawry, which was launched in 2008 to provide payment solutions through ATM machines, mobile wallets, and retail points. Chief technology officer of Fawry, Mostafa Elnahhas, told Wamda that his company succeeded in spreading 65,000 collection points in 300 cities for banked customers in Egypt. However, the electronic payment is still small-sized due to the large amount of unbanked customers and the low credit card penetration.

Regulations are, however, crippling entrepreneurs. Mourad Alashry, CEO of PayMe, launched his startup in August 2016. It  allows companies and businesses to collect electronic payment without signing contracts with banks or paying extra fees.  The startup offers a simple payment tool for companies to allow them to set up an account and have customers send money through it. PayMe app was forced by Egypt’s fiscal regulator to stop operating for four months to abide by regulations. (Photo via PayMe) However, shortly after its launch, the Central Bank of Egypt, the state regulator, suspended Payme’s operations as a payment firm as it wasn’t cooperating with a bank. The firm had to abide by this regulation until it followed the requirements and collaborated with state-owned bank the National Bank of Egypt, then resumed its business in January 2017.  

Regulations are, however, crippling entrepreneurs. Mourad Alashry, CEO of PayMe, launched his startup in August 2016. It  allows companies and businesses to collect electronic payment without signing contracts with banks or paying extra fees.  The startup offers a simple payment tool for companies to allow them to set up an account and have customers send money through it.

In its next phase of algorithm development, FarmDrive seeks to expand the environmental arm of the algorithm by incorporating more alternative data-sets, including satellite imagery and remote sensing data. They are currently engaging with Planet, a satellite company from Silicone Valley, and The Impact Lab, a Chicago-based data analytics firm to analyze the possibilities of using satellite images in predicting a farmer’s creditworthiness.In addition, FarmDrive also plans to use these environmental data-sets, in combination with crop cycle data to predict seasonal yield and influence agricultural insurance products.The startup also uses machine learning in generating the farmer’s profile by learning from the farmer’s input. Data points about the farmer’s behaviour, education level, and their interaction with the app are all analyzed to contribute to the farmers profile score.

Smallholder farmers, especially in Kenya face difficulties when it comes to accessing loans and financing from banks and other financial institutions. The agricultural sector is the backbone to Kenya’s economy, yet banks have very little incentive to work with farmers.

FarmDrive founded in 2014 has built an innovative solution that provides “detailed risk profiles of smallholder farmers to financial institutions”. FarmDrive does this through a credit score, generated by an algorithm developed by the team, in-house. The algorithm relies on data-sets collected from the farmers through their mobile phones, alternative data and machine learning.