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chaimaa-rachid

About | Kiva - 0 views

  • We do this by crowdfunding loans and unlocking capital for the underserved, improving the quality and cost of financial services, and addressing the underlying barriers to financial access around the world. Through Kiva's work, students can pay for tuition, women can start businesses, farmers are able to invest in equipment and families can afford needed emergency care.
  • We do this by crowdfunding loans and unlocking capital for the underserved, improving the quality and cost of financial services, and addressing the underlying barriers to financial access around the world. Through Kiva's work, students can pay for tuition, women can start businesses, farmers are able to invest in equipment and families can afford needed emergency care.
    • aminej
       
      Kiva is an interesting platform that offers very interesting funding access to people in different areas of the world. It would enable them to either start a new business or improve theirs. There are already 1.9 million lenders which is quite huge and a repayment rate of 95.9% so I believe that it is really developped.
  • We do this by crowdfunding loans and unlocking capital for the underserved, improving the quality and cost of financial services, and addressing the underlying barriers to financial access around the world. Through Kiva's work, students can pay for tuition, women can start businesses, farmers are able to invest in equipment and families can afford needed emergency care.
    • kaoutarchennoufi
       
      Kiva is a very impactful organization since it financially helps students and women who want to start their own business. It is well known that these two categories usually face difficulties to contract loans or get any financial service. We need more organizations like Kiva all around Africa.
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  • Kiva started as a pioneer in crowdfunding in 2005, and is constantly innovating to meet people’s diverse lending needs. Whether it’s reinventing microfinance with more flexible terms, supporting community-wide projects or lowering costs to borrowers, we are always testing and learning.
  • We envision a financially inclusive world where all people hold the power to improve their lives.
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    I love the concept of Kiva where you can see technology helping people in their lives. The company aims to link borrowers with lender in order to improve the lifestyle of the people interested in this service. I just like the way Fintech plays a big role in improving our life and Kiva is just a good example of it.
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    Kiva provides attractive access to funding individuals to improve their lives.
kaoutarchennoufi

Our partners | Kiva - 0 views

  • Kiva receives a broad range of support from a diverse set of corporations and foundations. From discounted services and free software, to grants and financial backing, Kiva is grateful for each partner that helps us achieve our mission of expanding financial access to help underserved communities thrive. (Please note that the corporations and foundations listed have made contributions of either grants, loan funds, equipment or services in the last 30 months.)
    • kaoutarchennoufi
       
      Kiva has a wide and diversified community of partners which will allow it to have a better problem solving and decision making, better reputation, higher engagement, and of course increased creativity and innovation. Also, thanks to this diversity, the partners don't only give loans, but they also contribute with equipments.
aminej

The Mukuru Story | Mukuru - 0 views

  • Mukuru enables our customers to move money around the world. We use the latest mobile and web-based technologies to deliver the safest and most efficient experience possible. But that’s just half the story. To really understand us, you need to know the why behind all we do. We exist as a remittances business to empower migrants typically excluded from mainstream financial services, to move money in a convenient, safe and affordable way. We know that every customer has a story; just as we do. So whether sending money home for school fees, the purchasing of seeds and farming equipment, hospital bills, rent or groceries, we are passionate about making each story end well.
  • Mukuru enables our customers to move money around the world. We use the latest mobile and web-based technologies to deliver the safest and most efficient experience possible. But that’s just half the story. To really understand us, you need to know the why behind all we do. We exist as a remittances business to empower migrants typically excluded from mainstream financial services, to move money in a convenient, safe and affordable way. We know that every customer has a story; just as we do. So whether sending money home for school fees, the purchasing of seeds and farming equipment, hospital bills, rent or groceries, we are passionate about making each story end well.
    • aminej
       
      Mukuru offers remittances to people across Africa. It can be helpful for people who live in rural areas. It has already erved more than 7 million customers with 42 branches in Africa.
kaoutarchennoufi

About Us - Fawry - 1 views

  • 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.
    • ghtazi
       
      Fawry that is the only technology company on The Egyptian Exchange currently offers over 250 electronic payment services through its network of over 105,000 service points across 300 cities in Egypt - that include ATMs, mobile wallets, retail shops, post offices, and little vendor kiosks
    • kenzabenessalah
       
      Fawry offers a variety of services from groceries, to pharmacies, to banking, etc. It's a platform that contains many services to facilitate operations.
  • 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.
    • kaoutarchennoufi
       
      Fawry is a very powerful Egyptian Digital Transformation and E-payments platform thanks to its diverse services provided and its high performance that reaches 3 million financial operations daily. The impressive thing is that it has its own patent that respects the international security standards.
  • 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.
    • hibaerrai
       
      Fawry is the largest e-payments platform in Egypt. It proposes all financial services important for the daily life of citizens which makes paying bills and others easier.
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  • About Us - Fawry
  • 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.
    • mehdibella
       
      Fawry offers a convenient and reliable way to pay bills and other services in multiple channels (online, using ATMs , mobile wallets and retail points)
tahaemsd

SA's Lumkani installs shack fire early-warning systems in an additional 20k homes - Dis... - 0 views

  • South African startup Lumkani has installed its early warning fire detection system in an additional 20,000 homes across the country, meaning it has now equipped 40,000 high fire risk homes in several of the country’s informal settlements.
    • tahaemsd
       
      Lumkani installs shack fire early warning systems
samiatazi

SnapScan rolls out 'frictionless' payment feature called SnapBeacons - Ventureburn - 2 views

  • South African payments startup SnapScan is today announcing its first major update since its QR code payments feature was popularised in 2013. The new payment channel, called SnapBeacons, is meant to provide users a frictionless alternative solution to pay for stuff. Instead of just being able to pay by scanning a QR code, SnapScan customers can now simply tap a button in the app to initiate the transaction via Bluetooth. A message on the customer’s phone will alert them when the option is available.
  • South African payments startup SnapScan is today announcing its first major update since its QR code payments feature was popularised in 2013. The new payment channel, called SnapBeacons, is meant to provide users a frictionless alternative solution to pay for stuff.
    • samielbaqqali
       
      Finally, SnapScan is offering a new payment option to its customers. I think this is a really brilliant strategy because they realized that their product might become old school, so providing consumers with an alternative payment method will draw them more to the company.
  • Instead of just being able to pay by scanning a QR code, SnapScan customers can now simply tap a button in the app to initiate the transaction via Bluetooth.
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  • SnapScan is today announcing its first major update since its QR code payments feature was popularised in 2013.
  • “The key difference is essentially the ability to provide even more convenience and speed to
  • improve the payment process,” CEO of SnapScan Kobus Ehlers explained in a phone interview. “They can now complete the payment anywhere within the range of the store’s beacon.”The new functionality is already available at 30 SnapScan merchants in Cape Town and 20 others around the country which have iBeacons. See the list here.“If you have the feature enabled, and you walk into the range of one of these beacons, it’ll simply display a Pay Here button,” he explained. iPhone users will even have a Merchants icon on their lock screen which means that you don’t even have to open the app to pay.
  • South African payments startup SnapScan is today announcing its first major update since its QR code payments feature was popularised in 2013. The new payment channel, called SnapBeacons, is meant to provide users a frictionless alternative solution to pay for stuff. Instead of just being able to pay by scanning a QR code, SnapScan customers can now simply tap a button in the app to initiate the transaction via Bluetooth. A message on the customer’s phone will alert them when the option is available.
    • samiatazi
       
      I am amazed by the new release of SnapScan which is another installment channel called SnapBeacons through which Clients can basically tap a catch in the SnapScan application to start the exchange through Bluetooth. The installments startup is upheld by the Standard Bank-sponsored Standard Bank and is situated in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since it's an equipment based item, it might be viable with telephones like the iPhone 4S and up.
  • Several major international companies like Virgin Atlantic, Apple, Macy’s and Walmart are already adopting beacon technology and proximity-based products are a growing trend. “We’re the first in South Africa to roll this technology out and we want to see how we can improve the user experience accordingly,” Ehlers boasted.An added feature, not a pivot
  • Ehlers noted that from the beginning, the Standard Bank-backed company wasn’t tied to just QR codes. It’s always been looking at new technologies to make mobile payment processes better. “To that end, we constantly play with a whole host of different technologies in the payments channel, of which the one that really got us excited was iBeacons.”An added bonus, the CEO notes that SnapBeacons will only be available to those who are keen to try it out. You can disable the feature if you want to.Read more: From stores to the streets: SnapScan’s road to a cashless society
  • “We’ve decided not to turn it on by default because we’re quite sensitive that people may want to consider whether they want this feature and reassure themselves that it’s not a big change that will happen over night.” It’s worth noting that this isn’t a complete transition. In some occasions SnapBeacons will make sense, while in other, it won’t.Furthermore, because it’s a hardware based product, it will only be compatible with a certain range of phones like the iPhone 4S and up or most smartphones running Android 4.3 and up.
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    SnapScan is finally providing its customers with a new payment alternative. I think that this is a very brilliant strategy because they realized that their product might get old school, so providing an alternative payment possibility for the customers can attract them more to the company.
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    It was a smart move from the Snapscan company to stay up to date and continue introducing new innovative features. After the introduction of QR code, now it has made an app, that allows transaction via Bluetooth ,available to customers in order to be more efficient and faster
nouhaila_zaki

What Is a Robo-Advisor? - 0 views

  • Shortcomings of Robo-Advisors The entry of robo-advisors has broken down some of the traditional barriers between the financial services world and average consumers. Because of these online platforms, sound financial planning is now accessible to everyone, not just high-net-worth individuals. Still, many in the industry have doubts about the viability of robos as a one-size-fits-all solution to wealth management. Given the relative nascency of their technological capabilities and minimal human presence, robo-advisors have been criticized for lacking in empathy and sophistication. They are good entry-level tools for people with small accounts and limited investment experience, namely millennials, but are far from sufficient for those who need advanced services like estate planning, complicated tax management, trust fund administration, and retirement planning. Automated services are also ill-equipped to deal with unexpected crises or extraordinary situations. For instance, if a young person's parents passed away and he/she receives an inheritance, going online to a robo-advisor to manage the money is probably not the optimal decision. In fact, a study conducted by Investopedia and the Financial Planning Association found that consumers prefer a combination of human and technological guidance, especially when times are rough. According to the report, 40% of participants said they would not be comfortable using an automated investing platform during extreme market volatility. Furthermore, robo-advisors operate on the assumption that clients have defined goals and a clear understanding of their financial circumstances, to begin with. For many, that is not the case. Answering questions like, "Is your risk tolerance low, moderate, or high?" presupposes the user has a fundamental knowledge of investment concepts and the real-life implications of each option they choose.
    • nouhaila_zaki
       
      This article does a great job at introducing the limits of Robo-advisors: - the one-solution fits all to wealth management proposed by Robo-advisors does not account for extraordinary situations and unexpected crises. - people do not trust a robot to make life-changing huge decisions, especially when times are rough and market volatility is extreme. - Robo-advisors assume that clients have defined goals and a clear understanding of their financial circumstances, which is not always the case.
mehdi-ezzaoui

https://ajmjournal.com/HTML_Papers/Asian Journal of Management__PID__2019-10-3-16.html - 1 views

  • Anlesinya et al (2014)16 examined whether corporate social responsibility has significant positive effect on the financial performance of MTN Ghana Limited. The study administered questionnaire on 35 management staff of MTN Ghana Limited, employed standard multiple regression and hierarchical multiple regression for the analysis. The research results showed that CSR at the aggregate level did not have significant positive effect on financial performance but community CSR has a positive while environmental CSR has negative effect on financial performance of MTN Ghana Limited. The study however has left key performance indicators of MTN Ghana unexplored lending support for a more comprehensive study in that regard. Vadiraj and Narahari (2014)1 attempted to develop a model that could predict the future trends of average revenue per user (ARPU) so that telecom service providers could formulate a strategy to increase their ARPU. The study using a multiple linear regression has been able to explain that subscriber base; number of operators and percentage of new users added periodically are the main determinants of average revenue per user (ARPU). Rahul and Xue (2012)17 attempted to examine the relationship between some selected factors and their contribution to the revenue of the Telecom industries in China and India. Using time series data collected from secondary sources from 2000 to 2010 on number of subscribers, technology innovation, and government regulation and policies, their granger causality test found no causality running from number of subscribers to the revenue of the telecom Industry in both China and India. They however found a causality running from technological innovation to the revenue of the Telecom Industries in both countries. Shmelev (2013)18 developed a model for calculating Telecom Company’s revenue and margin indicators. The study crafted the model for calculating the revenue of Telecom companies based on the Business Metric Framework (BMF) developed by the TeleManagement Forum, a global non-profit association for service providers in the Telecommunication sector. Examining the relationship between the two categories of KPIs in the BMF, the study concluded that it is possible to  create a function depending on the target KPIs lower levels, to calculate the final financial indicator at given rates and obtain a performance management  tool based on key performance indicators.  
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    Effects of KPI's company on MTN Ghana Ltd's financial results. MTN database with a variety of data was equipped with time series data on commercial KPIs
mehdibella

FWRY.CA - Fawry for Banking Tech and Elec Pay SAE Profile | Reuters - 0 views

  • Fawry for Banking Technology and Electronic Payment SAE Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting
  • The Company allows users to pay bills in multiple channels, such as online, using automated teller machine (ATMs), mobile wallets and retail points. The Company provides operations services specialized in systems and communications, management, operating and maintenance of equipment and computers networks services and internal systems of banks, networks, and centralized systems. The Company also establish operating systems for banking services through the Internet, phone and e-payment services. The Company’s network of retailers includes small groceries, pharmacies, stationaries, and post-offices, among others.
mbellakbail69

Coscout - Company & Investor Profiles, Funding & Competitors - 0 views

  • Fawry is a pioneering Electronic Payment Network, offering financial services to consumers and businesses through more than 65 thousand locations and a variety of channels. It offers a convenient and reliable way to pay bills and other services in multiple channels (online, using ATMs , mobile wallets and retail points) The company'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
    • mbellakbail69
       
      Fawry's fortune is partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic that caused more people to place a high demand for its e-payment offerings.
nourserghini

Fintech Trends 2020: New Technology in Financial Services - 0 views

  • AI-powered ChatbotsBanks and most of the businesses in the consumer industry have to deal with so many customer inquiries. It requires them to set up dedicated staff members or a complete call center to keep answering the questions that may not directly benefit their business. The artificial intelligence relieves the financial institutions in this hassle with modern-technology equipped chatbots. These virtual assistants are smart in understanding the user queries and providing them with the most viable answer.
    • nourserghini
       
      Fintechs can implement AI-powered chatbots to enhance their customers' experience with their platforms and services.
mehdibella

mobile money made easy by new South African startup | Time - 4 views

  • A free app available for any smartphone, SnapScan works almost like a pocket ATM linked to the user’s debit or credit card account. Instead of handing over a card, customers scan a unique SnapScan logo posted at the cash register with their camera-enabled phone. They enter the amount, type in a pin code (or use touch ID) and a few seconds later the vendor’s phone chimes with a confirmation sent by SMS. It’s quick, painless, and entirely safe, says Ehlers. SnapScan is backed by Standard Bank, one of South Africa’s biggest banks, and uses cutting-edge fraud protection technology. More to the point, he notes, it means that vendors never have access to actual credit card details. “That means no one is noting down your number so he can go shopping later,” says Ehlers.
  • It’s been so long since 30-year-old Cape Town entrepreneur Kobus Ehlers last used his wallet that he’s not even sure where it is. “My car maybe?” he says as he reflexively scans the cheerfully decorated offices of his startup, SnapScan. When it’s pointed out that leaving a wallet in a car in a city infamous for break-ins and carjackings may not be a good idea, he shrugs. He probably doesn’t even have the equivalent of five dollars in it, he says. “I never use cash. Credit cards are over. There are much better ways to pay for things.”As the co-founder of one of South Africa’s most successful electronic payments apps, Ehlers is of course expected to use his own product. But the real reason he isn’t worried about his wallet is because Cape Town is a city seduced by the idea of cashless and cardless transactions, in no small part because of his company’s success. “You can literally wake up in the morning, buy a cup of coffee, go to your dentist, have lunch, pay your bills, take a taxi, go out for dinner, and donate to your favorite cause without using cash or a card,” says Ehlers. “And in none of that is there any risk of your card details getting stolen, or you getting mugged for your cash.”
    • samielbaqqali
       
      SnapScan is an example of Fintech's performance. I assume, however, that these kinds of creative companies need to be sponsored by strong organizations. SnapScan is backed by Standard bank and this bank is powerful financial institution in South Africa. So I think that in order to develop their offerings, Fintechs should use the financial power of banks.
  • It’s been so long since 30-year-old Cape Town entrepreneur Kobus Ehlers last used his wallet that he’s not even sure where it is. “My car maybe?” he says as he reflexively scans the cheerfully decorated offices of his startup, SnapScan. When it’s pointed out that leaving a wallet in a car in a city infamous for break-ins and carjackings may not be a good idea, he shrugs. He probably doesn’t even have the equivalent of five dollars in it, he says. “I never use cash. Credit cards are over. There are much better ways to pay for things.”As the co-founder of one of South Africa’s most successful electronic payments apps, Ehlers is of course expected to use his own product. But the real reason he isn’t worried about his wallet is because Cape Town is a city seduced by the idea of cashless and cardless transactions, in no small part because of his company’s success. “You can literally wake up in the morning, buy a cup of coffee, go to your dentist, have lunch, pay your bills, take a taxi, go out for dinner, and donate to your favorite cause without using cash or a card,” says Ehlers. “And in none of that is there any risk of your card details getting stolen, or you getting mugged for your cash.”
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  • SnapScan may make mobile payments easy for users, says Ehlers, but the reason why the company has been so successful in South Africa is that it makes processing the payments easy—and cheap—for sellers. With traditional credit card systems, and even Apple Pay, vendors have to buy expensive equipment to process the payments—something small businesses can rarely afford. But SnapScan only requires an upfront investment of the less than five cents it costs to print out their Quick Response [QR] Code, a square, camera-readable version of a traditional bar code that resembles a mosaic tile, and tape it to the cash register. “If someone wants to buy from you and you don’t have a credit card machine, and the person doesn’t have cash, our payment system is the difference between closing the sale and not closing the sale,” says Ehlers. Registration is free, and the company charges retailers an average fee of three percent, on par with most credit card companies.
    • samiatazi
       
      Snapscan is very useful for Startups and vendors willing to switch and rely on the digital transformation due to both its low cost and effectiveness. additionally, the platform is practical for cashless consumers.
  • It was that question, of how to bring small businesses that couldn’t afford traditional credit processing facilities into an increasingly cashless environment that inspired Ehlers and his co-founders to develop SnapScan. Like many Cape Townians, Ehlers was a fan of the Big Issue, a South African spinoff of a British charity that prints high quality magazines for homeless men and women to sell at a profit in order to work their way off the streets. Most of the vendors ply traffic backed up at intersections for sales. But because of the risk of carjackings, which have nearly doubled in the greater Cape Town area over the past two years, to 1530 reported incidents, few motorists keep cash on hand. “People stopped buying the magazines,” says Ehlers. “A Big Issue vendor comes up and says ‘do you want to buy a magazine,’ and you say ‘I do, but I don’t have cash with me.’ That was a problem we realized we could solve very easily.”
    • samiatazi
       
      I, personally, think that the best business ideas are the ones solving current issues faced by customers because it would be easier to promote and sell a product to an already existing market. This article points out that the business idea of Snapscan arrised from a simple discussion between a magazine seller and a cashless buyer, now it is one of the biggest Fintechs in Africa. indeed, We should believe in our potential to change others' life.
  • SnapScan customers don’t have to worry about sending their credit card details to online vendors that may not have the latest fraud protection. They just scan the QR code at the virtual checkout like they would in the real world.
  • As a result, SnapScan has been adopted by about 12,000 small and medium businesses in more than 17,000 outlets across South Africa.
  • SnapScan has 150,000 registered users, and processes hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments every day for everything from airline tickets to handcrafted wicker baskets at roadside curio stalls.
    • mehdibella
       
      I am very proud to hear that the African continent is not only following the mobile payments trend and development, but it is also joining as a leader in the space !
  • A free app available for any smartphone, SnapScan works almost like a pocket ATM linked to the user’s debit or credit card account. Instead of handing over a card, customers scan a unique SnapScan logo posted at the cash register with their camera-enabled phone.
  • SnapScan may make mobile payments easy for users, says Ehlers, but the reason why the company has been so successful in South Africa is that it makes processing the payments easy—and cheap—for sellers.
  • For all the talk of a new cashless society ushered in by the likes of Apple Pay in the United States, it’s going to be a while before a swipe of a phone will buy a meal in most cities. But in Cape Town, it’s already happening. I’ve used my phone to pay for parking, cover a medical bill, order take out, buy groceries at my local farmers market and give money to the homeless woman selling the South African version of Street News at the traffic light. Churchgoers use their phones for donations. My facialist just informed me that I could pay for Botox treatments with SnapScan. I’ll take that as her endorsement of an increasingly popular payment service, and not a hint.
    • ayoubb
       
      Snapscan
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    SnapScan is an example of the efficiency of fintechs. However, I believe that these kind of innovative businesses need to be backed by strong institutions. SnapScan is backed by Standard bank and this bank is strong financial institution in South Africa. So I think that fintechs can use the financial power of banks in order to improve their services.
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    I believe that by being easy to use and fast, Snapscan found success. However, what encourages customers to use it even more is its cheap cost.
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    The fact that the company provides an easy-to-use and fast service inspires people to use it.
kaoutarchennoufi

Fawry - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding - 1 views

  • Fawry is a pioneering Electronic Payment Network, offering financial services to consumers and businesses
    • kenzabenessalah
       
      Fawry is a business that offers services not only to customers but to businesses as well.
  • Fawry is a pioneering Electronic Payment Network, offering financial services to consumers and businesses through more than 65 thousand locations and a variety of channels. It offers a convenient and reliable way to pay bills and other services in multiple channels (online, using ATMs , mobile wallets and retail points)The company'snetwork 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.
    • kaoutarchennoufi
       
      Fawry does not focus only focus on customers but it creates services geared toward other businesses as well. It has a large network with 65 thousands locations and many channels. selling to both consumers and businesses is a good strategy to grow faster, and increase market share.
kenzabenessalah

FarmDrive: Connecting farmers to financing | Mercy Corps - 0 views

  • While financial inclusion in the country has increased, many farmers remain excluded. Limited financing for farmers is due, in part, to a lack of available credible risk-assessment information for financial institutions. Many small farmers are unbanked and off the financial grid, without credit profiles to verify or back up details on their annual income, business expenses or yields.
    • tahaemsd
       
      Without thiis information, farmers are left with little to no access to financial services, while lenders miss out on the opportunity to build their client base and agricultural loan portfolios.
  • FarmDrive generates real-time credit reports for small farmers, allowing them to access loans from financial institutions and agricultural input providers via mobile phone. 
  • FarmDrive collects expense and revenue data from farmers via SMS and combines it with satellite imaging, remote sensing technology and alternative data points (e.g., soil analysis, weather forecasts) to create detailed yield estimates and assess credit risk.
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  • FarmDrive overlaps our focus areas of agriculture and financial inclusion, empowering the world’s most vulnerable farmers with the digital financial services they need to strengthen and improve their livelihoods. 
    • mehdibella
       
      FarmDrive collects expense and revenue data from farmers and combines it with satellite imaging, remote sensing technology and alternative data points to create detailed yield estimates and assess credit risk.
  • We’ve connected FarmDrive to various partners and expertise to help them scale, as its usage increases in other developing markets in sub-Saharan Africa. 
  • Reports allow credit providers to make informed lending decisions and easily reach rural clients, expanding access to financing for small farmers. As a result, farmers have greater control over their livelihoods – equipped with what they need to increase their crop yields, improve their incomes and invest their additional revenue back into their families and communities.
    • kenza_abdelhaq
       
      FarmDrive collects data from farmers using different technologies which allows the company to generate farmers' credit reports which allow loan providers to make informed decisions and therefore give more access to financing to small farmers.
  • Since, FarmDrive has reached hundreds of farmers with its suite of financial services, credit reports and financing options, with a particular focus on serving women and youth farmers typically neglected by the formal financial system.
    • kenzabenessalah
       
      The focus that FarmDrive has on serving women is essential to keep in mind. We must dig deep as to why they are being neglected by the financial system and make sure that they never get fooled by them in the future.
  • In Kenya, most small farmers — around 7.5 million — lack access to small loans to help them buy what they need to improve their production and make the most of their land – things like quality fertilizers, better seeds, livestock and micro-irrigation.  
    • kenzabenessalah
       
      Knowing the percentage of the population who do not own bank accounts as well as the percentages of loans that others have access to is a must to help improve the economic situation in Kenya. Such details, like interest rate, etc. are essential in helping people construct a well structured economic strategy so that all Kenyans benefit from these financial services and never fall back again.
hibaerrai

Fawry draws a line for Egypt's unbanked | Financial Times - 0 views

  • To minimise risk, shops where the services are available buy credit in advance from Fawry before they collect any money from the public, earning a cut from the fees.
  • “Acceptance is critical to us and we have been keen to develop solutions to expand the acceptance footprint,” he says. “The alliance with Fawry helps this by adding segments that were not accessible before. It is a typical fit with our strategy for penetrating the unbanked segment.”
    • ayachehbouni
       
      For those who do not know how to use technology or never visited banks, which represent the majority of the population, Fawry offers bill payment at the corner store. Fawry's services are available at 16,000 retailers and 1,300 post offices. This kind of services is the main reason behind the sudden development of the country's economy as financial services were available to more people, and more importantly to unbanked and underbanked.
  • For the majority of the population, who have never touched a keyboard or stepped through the doors of a bank, Fawry offers bill payment at the corner store. It has a growing network of collection points at small grocers, stationers and chemists, which are equipped with point-of-sale machines – the same ones used for credit card payments. Fawry’s services are available at 16,000 retailers and 1,300 post offices, advertised by its bright blue and yellow logo.
    • nouhaila_zaki
       
      This excerpt is important because it describes the scope of the current network that Fawry enjoys in Egypt, something that can be useful for developing strategies for growth.
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  • It has teamed up with MasterCard to launch an online payments portal, and 12 banks (representing 80 per cent of Egypt’s banking capacity) offer its services through their ATMs, over the counter, or on their websites.
    • nouhaila_zaki
       
      Here the excerpt is important because it introduces a key partnership underwent by Fawry, namely the one with Mastercard; in addition to what this partnership entails for Fawry's operations (positive impact since Fawry could launch an online payments portal + offering of Fawry services by several banks).
  • “The problem in Egypt is that companies which have bank accounts sell services to people with no bank accounts,” says Ashraf Sabry, chief executive and a founder of Fawry. Among its owners are the technology development fund; a public-private partnership, Raya; a local technology company; and a group of banks including HSBC. “You could say the sellers are at the top of a pyramid and the buyers at the bottom. We connect them.”
    • hibaerrai
       
      Unbanked individuals rights in Egypt are ignored. Fawry's goal was to give them the opportunity to financial services as well, and increase the country's financial inclusion.
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    This is a smart move because minimising the risk in this kind of operations is very important.
nouhaila_zaki

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

  • For a successful model, the Arab World can look to Kenya’s development of mobile money or “M-Pesa”. In many ways, the elements that lead to M-Pesa’s success in Kenya are already present in the Arab World. Young people in MENA are digitally savvy, are active on social media and are some of the heaviest users of mobile phones in the world.
    • hichamachir
       
      M-Pesa can influence many countries to believe in the power of technology and innovation. I think that embracing the entrepreneurial lifestyle can help many countries to innovate and create successful business and M-Pesa is a great example.
  • The growth of M-Pesa is the result of many factors, including the ease of setting up an account (which is free and only requires an official ID), its simplicity of use, its affordability, the high literacy rate of the population, and the high penetration of mobile phones.Another key element to M-Pesa’s growth worth emphasizing is the regulatory stance adopted by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). It decided not to oppose the entry of the telecom operator into the financial sector as long as it offered sufficient guarantees. CBK adopted an “above the fray” position as a regulator and allowed for experimentation in order to foster innovation.
  • The successful adoption of M-Pesa in Kenya reverberated across the African startup scene. It acted as a catalyzer and a signal for young entrepreneurs in Kenya and Africa as a whole: revolutionary ideas could be successfully implemented in Africa and generate both business opportunities and a development path for local communities.
    • samielbaqqali
       
      M-Pesa will influence many nations to believe in the potential of creativity and technology. I think it will help many countries to innovate and build effective companies by adopting the entrepreneurial lifestyle, and M-Pesa is an excellent example.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • A MENA perspectiveMENA could easily follow in Kenya’s footsteps, and reap immense benefits. The adoption of mobile payment systems makes transactions cheaper, easier and safer. By simplifying how clients can pay for goods and services, it helps firms reach out to new customers and foster private sector development across the economy. Moreover, as is often the case with innovations, it has the potential to be built upon and used by other new technologies and to create a positive momentum in fintech as a whole.Governments in the Middle East and North Africa should enable digital innovation with conducive regulations and the development of a regulatory ‘sandbox’, which guarantees the security of transactions but allows for experimentation, that would stimulate the development and adoption of disruptive innovations.Today, economic connectivity is achieved by the development and harmonization of optic fibers, IT equipment, online payment systems, information transmission and data protection policies. If the MENA region puts sufficient efforts in this direction, it could propose a new path to its citizens, in particular the youth, and bring about a new development strategy adapted to the modern age.
    • nouhaila_zaki
       
      This except is very interesting because it touches upon the way in which M-Pesa could benefit MENA societies. It encourages MENA governments to legislate in favour of innovation and digital products in order to propose a new development strategy that befits the modern age.
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    I think that this article has some great information on how to replicate the success story of M-Pesa in the Arab World. I think that the Arab World is in need of such service to facilitate the life of unbanked people, and especially women. This article also highlights the importance of having a lenient regulatory system.
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