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A whole range of companies within the banking and FinTech industries are starting to explore ways through which they can take advantage of the electronic ledger technology that powers cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin

A whole range of companies within the banking and FinTech industries are starting to explore ways through which they can take advantage of the electronic ledger technology that powers cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. This distributed system stores data chronologically in segments known as “blocks” which allow for the information to be processed and transferred almost instantaneously. Among the benefits of the blockchain technology, that make it so attractive to FinTech companies and other large institutions, is the lowered risk of fraud since the technology is notoriously difficult to hack, its speed and the fact that it eliminates intermediary steps between parties in a transaction.

STARTUP WATCH- Fawry is officially Egypt’s first unicorn: EGX-listed e-payments firm Fawry became the first Egyptian tech company to hit a market cap of USD 1 bn on Monday after its share price reached intraday highs of EGP 22.69, former managing director Mohamed Okasha announced in a LinkedIn post. Fawry’s share price has increased by more than 300% since it debuted on the EGX last year, a rise that has accelerated in recent months as the use of its payment services skyrocketed during the lockdown.

“With Masterpass, we’re enabling consumers to make secure and simple everyday payments wherever they are and from any connected device, without needing to physically carry their bank cards with them,” says Mark Elliott, Division President, Mastercard, South Africa. “Thanks to our collaboration with SnapScan, we are pleased to offer consumers even more places to pay using Masterpass, which is now the most widely accepted digital wallet in South Africa.”Since its launch in 2013, SnapScan has grown its acceptance exponentially, especially among small businesses that traditionally did not have access to traditional Point of Sale devices and relied on cash payments. It makes accepting digital card payments cheap and easy, with merchants simply needing to display a QR code at the till, online or on a bill.“Given SnapScan’s extensive acceptance footprint, the ability to offer merchants a single QR code, which will accept payment from multiple mobile wallet solutions such as Masterpass, is the driving force behind creating interoperability,” says Lincoln Mali, head of group card and payments at Standard Bank. “We believe that interoperability between digital payments platforms is one of the keys to driving digital payments usage and acceptance in South Africa.”

Each Masterpass transaction is classified as an Authenticated Mobile Transaction by South African banks, ensuring that consumers enjoy the highest protection from fraudsters.

The startup will initially offer a small range of service and products that will be expanded quickly, with the interface being developed by the Bismart team allowing the distribution of insurance products across Africa, facilitating the rapid roll-out and scaling of the business. Bismart will also use blockchain-based smart contracts in order to facilitate policy management and offer the security of decentralised databases

Yes! SnapScan is safe to use on multiple levels: The app requires a PIN to be entered before any transaction can be completed. This prevents anyone who has your phone from making transactions, as your PIN should be known only to you.  Your card details are also encrypted and stored safely and securely on your phone. Even if your phone is stolen, nobody will be able to see or access your card details.

SnapScan is a new innovative mobile payment App on a smartphone. It provides a cashless, card-less payment app that consumers can use at thousands of merchants across South Africa or to make donations to CANSA.  It can be used for customers of any bank in South Africa (not just Standard Bank).

We are honoured to have the opportunity to collaborate with some of the leading minds in AI and ML to accelerate the extension of financial services to the billions of un(der)-served people in the world. We’re at a critical point in our business where we are focused on leveraging the latest technology to increase customer eligibility and decrease unequal access to quality financial products in emerging markets.” JUMO founder and CEO Andrew Watkins-Ball 

Fawry offers a convenient and reliable way to pay bills and other services  in multiple channels (online, using ATMs , mobile wallets and retail points)Fawry’s network of retailers includes small groceries, pharmacies and stationaries, and post-offices, all equipped with point-of-sale machines – the same ones used for credit card payments.

Based on its own-patented technology, that is fully compliant with international security standards of the ISA 27001 and PA DSS certifications, Fawry performs more than 3 million financial operations daily.Fawry services for businesses include collection services, customer acquisition, electronic cash, payment facilitation, and business-to-business collection centers.

Fawry is the Leading Egyptian Digital Transformation & E-Payments Platform, offering financial services to consumers and businesses through more than 194,000 locations and a variety of channels.Fawry offers a convenient and reliable way to pay bills and other services  in multiple channels (online, using ATMs , mobile wallets and retail points)Fawry’s network of retailers includes small groceries, pharmacies and stationaries, and post-offices, all equipped with point-of-sale machines – the same ones used for credit card payments.

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.

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. 

Agent banking has increasingly gained importance in developing countries over the last two decades. However, the extent to which agent banking can be used as a tool to mobilize deposit in the banking sector remains largely unknown and the true benefits of the agent banking model to customers, the banks and the bank agents also remains largely unstudied. The main objective of the study was to assess factors affecting agent banking deposit mobilization in case of lion international bank s.c. The study was conducted among 1,300 recorded agents with a respondent sample of 306 agents.

nvest-Mobile presented this Friday with a nice gift for the nursing staff in AZ Zeno. The golf cart company donated 900 bouquets of Zeeland tulips to the staff of AZ Zeno this morning at 11 o’clock.

Invest-Mobile is the licence-holder in the Benelux and Germany for your fuel efficient electric golf carts Garia, iMob and Club Car. Just look at the charisma and the functional / practical possibilities of your new fuel efficient electric mini car. Ideal for urban use!

Zambia's Investrust Bank launched InvestMobile, its mobile banking service. The product will be rolled out to existing account holders before being extended to unbanked communities. InvestMobile works from the handset, providing an account summary of the last seven transactions and supporting payment of bills to various utility companies such as Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company and MultiChoice. Customers will be able to view status on accounts such as term deposits, loan statements and positions on cleared or uncleared cheques and make transfers within the bank and to external accounts at

Bismart, a Kenyan insure-tech company has unveiled an online e-commerce platform that will enable insurance companies, brokers, agents to connect with their customers end- to- end.

Fawry Insurance Brokerage partners with AIG Egypt Insurance Company to launch the digital insurance policy “Qershak el Abyad” through 166,500 Fawry outlets and e-wallets, allowing the insurance policy for more than 30 million Egyptian Fawry users throughout Egypt. The policy provides 75k EGP insurance coverage upon accidents of the candidate, with a monthly premium starting at 10 EGP.

The Financial Regulatory Authority agrees on delivering "Qershak el Abyad" insurance policy through e-channels - Fawry

“Fawry Insurance Brokerage, a subsidiary of Fawry, will play a genuine role in marketing and selling the insurance policies of “Qershak el Abyad” program to millions of Egyptians and payments will be available through more than 166,500 Fawry machines and through e-wallets, so that customers will receive their policies electronically on mobile phones easily, this in cooperation with AIG Egypt Insurance Company, in a step that enhances financial inclusion in Egypt according to the plans and directives of the Egyptian government.”

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.