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.
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Digital Innovation in Emerging Markets: A Case Study of Mobile Money | MIT CISR - 0 views
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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
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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.
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Developed by the mobile telecommunications company Vodafone, M-Pesa was first a microfinancing solution promoting financial inclusion in East Africa.
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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. "
CONSORTIUM ACQUIRES MAJORITY STAKE IN FAWRY, EGYPT'S LEADING E-PAYMENT SERVICES PLATFOR... - 0 views
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Founded in 2008, Fawry is Egypt’s first and largest Electronic Payment Network, offering financial services to consumers and businesses through more than 50,000 collection points and a variety of channels nationwideBased 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 a million financial operations daily.Fawry services include collection services, customer acquisition, electronic cash, payment facilitation, and business-to-business collection centres. In 2014, Fawry’s revenue reached EGP 210 million, and the company served more than 15 million customers.
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This excerpt is important because it touches upon many aspects of Fawry: the nature of the company, the nature of services and products offered amongst other things.
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A consortium of international financial investors comprising the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund (“EAEF”), Helios Investment Partners (“Helios”, acting on behalf of funds it advises) and the MENA Long-Term Value Fund (“MENA LTV”) (together, the “Consortium”) today announced it has acquired a majority stake in Fawry, the leading electronic bill presentment and payment platform in Egypt at a purchase price valuing the company at EGP 773 million, approximately US$ 100 million.Headquartered in Cairo, Fawry provides users with a secure electronic bill presentment and payment services solution, connecting consumers, merchants, governments and financial institutions on a consolidated gateway that is accessible through multiple channels, including Point of Sale (POS) machines, ATMs, post offices, online and through mobile wallets. Since its establishment in 2009, Fawry has been at the forefront of electronic payments in Egypt, providing pioneering, innovative and convenient payment solutions to its customers. The company today processes over one million transactions a day and operates a network of over 50,000 collection points in 300 cities and suburbs across the country.
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The Egyptian American Enterprise Fund acquired a majority stake in fawry which is a huge investment for the fintech. It promotes financial inclusion.
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"Founded in 2008, Fawry is Egypt's first and largest Electronic Payment Network, offering financial services to consumers and businesses through more than 50,000 collection points and a variety of channels nationwide 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 a million financial operations daily. Fawry services include collection services, customer acquisition, electronic cash, payment facilitation, and business-to-business collection centres. In 2014, Fawry's revenue reached EGP 210 million, and the company served more than 15 million customers."
Nigerian fintech startup Carbon launches social banking service - Disrupt Africa - 0 views
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Its latest service – Carbon Express – enables users to initiate and complete transactions such as P2P transfers and bill payments from the keyboard without launching the Carbon app or leaving the app they are using. Instead, they will be able to access services from the touch of their keyboard enabling quicker Instagram or WhatsApp commerce.
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Carbon express is one of the latest technologies implemented by Carbon which allows faster transactions through the keyboard only without the app.
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Fawry Makes Bill Payment Easier for Egyptians | Middle East/Africa Hub - 2 views
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This innovation not only simplifies consumers’ lives, but allows more merchants to become a part of the electronic payments cycle, giving them the opportunity to safely conduct transactions and appeal to consumers who prefer not using cash. We have seen significant growth rates, and have managed to reach up to 1 million transactions per da
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When we founded Fawry, an electronic bill payment and presentment company, we were very aware of the gap between card usage and the limited acceptance points in Egypt. Our aim was to extend acceptance channels beyond the traditional card acceptance points to make life easier for consumers in Egypt.
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People have considered Fawry's facilities to be very convenient. We can save precious time by using online payments and it also offers ease of use.
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Fawry’s service is playing a key role in revolutionizing the payment industry in Egypt, a country where only 10% of the population of 85 million people has access to formal banking services.
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People have found Fawry's services to be very convenient. By using online payment we can save valuable time and it also provides ease of use. -
When Fawry was first established they were well aware of the gap between using card and using online payments, yet they manage to create acceptance for their service. They showed their customers in Egypt that it is much easier using online payments. And now they are revolutionizing the payment industry in Egypt.
Send money to M-PESA accounts in Kenya - 0 views
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I believe that M-PESA is one of the most developped and interesting fintechs in Africa and I'm sure it will expand to different places in the world. It a virtual banking system (mobile money service) that offers transaction services through a SIM card on a mobile phone. It is a very safe method of sending and receiving money very fastly and conveniently even for people who live in rural areas which is the case for most of people in the African continent.
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M-PESA Kenya is an electronic mobile money service that allows you to store, send and receive money on your mobile phone. With an M-PESA account, you can transfer cash and shop for products and services. You can also withdraw cash by visiting an agent (typically in a corner shop) or transfer it to others from your phone. This makes it a quick, safe and simple way to make payments and handle money.
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M-PESA is a virtual banking system (mobile money service) that offers transaction services through a SIM card on a mobile phone. In Kenya this must be with a Safaricom SIM card. The SIM card is inserted into the card slot of the mobile device and users can receive and store money, as well as make payments and transfer money to vendors and family members using SMS messages.
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M-PESA doesn't require something complex for customers to make use of its services, they just need a SIM card.
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SnapScan: Mobile payment solutions provider in South Africa - 1 views
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SnapScan is more than just a smartphone app. It’s a contactless mobile payment solution that makes it easy and safe to pay and receive payments in a store, online, at home, and on the go. No need for cards, cash, or time-consuming EFTs – just simple payments in a snap!
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snapscan allows its users easily get access to its services, even illiterate customers. plus, they gain customers trust.
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SnapScan is more than just a smartphone app. It’s a contactless mobile payment solution that makes it easy and safe to pay and receive payments in a store, online, at home, and on the go. No need for cards, cash, or time-consuming EFTs – just simple payments in a snap!
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SnapScan offers an innovative services that is used by more than 60.000 merchants worldwide. It was created in South Africa where level of crimes are very high. People avoid using cash or cards since they are confronted to theft situation very often.
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SnapScan is more than just a smartphone app. It’s a contactless mobile payment solution that makes it easy and safe to pay and receive payments in a store, online, at home, and on the go. No need for cards, cash, or time-consuming EFTs
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Snapsscan focuses in being an innovative fast and easy to use platform in order to attract customers. It targets its customer by showing them that a simple app would do the work that normally is time consuming and requires cards. It is a very good aspect to focus on in the fintech industry
Egypt calls for financial inclusions - Wamda - 1 views
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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.
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Fawry's main concerns for the next years is the large number of customers not familiar with electronic payment making fintech entry more challenging. E-services awareness should be made in that regard.
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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.
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Egypt's regulations are quite strict. If a fintech doesn't cooperate with a bank for instance, the central bank will suspend its activities until further notice.
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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.
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This article shows that regulatory agencies are still very strict with fintech firms in Egypt. It makes the work for fintech very difficult as they need to abide by these regulations even if it affects their operations and growth.
Behind The Scenes of SnapScans Product Team - OfferZen - 0 views
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SnapScan doesn’t really need an introduction. Users marry their credit cards with the app and can then shop anywhere with a SnapScan QR-code
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Snapsscan focuses on innovating the fast and easy-to-use platform to attract clients.
EthioPay Mojaloop Case Study - DFS Lab - 1 views
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EthioPay wanted to continue adding value for the Ethiopian banking sector through additional services and products. They wanted to add a number of different switch use cases (e.g. merchants, CICO, etc) to their ATM switch.
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This is probably an efficient and scalable way to easily interconnect the different services in the ethiopian banking sector
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They conducted a technical evaluation of the Mojaloop platform. While Mojaloop seemed to provide the required functionality, for a live deployment it lacked definition around auxiliary requirements to move into production.
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EthioPay wanted to continue adding value for the Ethiopian banking sector through additional services and products. They wanted to add a number of different switch use cases (e.g. merchants, CICO, etc) to their ATM switch.
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this excerpt is important because nowadays the development of companies for consumer products allows the huge opportunity for the expansion of electronic payments because it is assumed that consumers of electronic payments are indeed end-users and also that the majority of payouts are Customers to Business. Expanding enterprises also provide opportunities for big potential Business to Business payments.
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My Wallet Lesotho 1.2.3 Apk Download - com.smartelmoney.my_wallet APK free - 0 views
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MyWallet is a financial technology (fintech) product that allows for payments and money transfers to be made through modern information technology platforms such as mobile phones.Mobile money or electronic money is defined by the Mobile Money Guidelines issued by the CBL as payment instruments that contain monetary value that is paid in advance by the user to the money issuer.
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Smartel Money e-payments application is Mywallet. It can be downloaded on any smartphone, and money transfer is quick and easy.
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Vodacom and Safaricom in the driver's seat for M-Pesa - 0 views
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M-Pesa, the mobile-money platform that helps millions of people on the continent to make financial transactions, is now under stronger African control. This follows the successful conclusion of the acquisition of M-Pesa by South Africa’s Vodacom and Kenya’s Safaricom from the UK’s Vodafone, the chief executives of the three companies announced on Monday.
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The transaction has been in the works since 2019, when Vodacom and Safaricom announced they had formed a joint venture through which they planned to acquire the full suite of M-Pesa services.
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Vodacom and Safaricom engaging in a joint venture to acquire M-Pesa.
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The platform is available in Kenya, Tanzania, Lesotho, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mozambique and Egypt. The acquisition will enable a more aggressive expansion strategy to other markets on the continent where the platform is not available.
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Large network around Africa.
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This acquisition will allow M-Pesa to expand to other African markets more easily. It will also give the company stronger market power as all subscribers of Vodacom's will have easy access to M-Pesa services.
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"The transaction has been in the works since 2019, when Vodacom and Safaricom announced they had formed a joint venture through which they planned to acquire the full suite of M-Pesa services."
Robo-Advisors - Business Models and Strategies | ccecosystems.news - 0 views
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As mentioned in the last article, it is not possible to define exactly what a robo-advisor is, as the individual providers offer a range of services of varying breadth. In fact, robo-advisors have long since ceased to offer mere recommendations or advice, and most providers are steadily expanding their services into a fully integrated solution. Accordingly, people now associate a robo-advisor with a platform that can also be used to make an investment directly (see [Bloch/Vins 2017, 114]). However, this service, for example, is linked to certain regulatory requirements, which are presented below. It should be noted here that this is the regulatory framework in Germany. In terms of regulation, four business models can be distinguished in the area of robo advisory services:
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Since EasyEquities is about investment, having roboadvisors that provide financial advice would create more value to the company and would target more segments.
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investment brokerage (german: Anlagenvermittlung),investment advice (Anlagenberatung),acquisition brokerage (Abschlussvermittlung), as well asfinancial portfolio management (Finanzportfolioverwaltung), also known as asset management.
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This excerpt summarizes the business models that can be distinguished in the area of Robo-advisory services. The main difference between these business models lies in who is responsible for making the investment decision.
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Robo-advisors can follow an active or passive investment approach not only in terms of their product range, but also in the composition of the individual products. In active management, for example, the market is constantly monitored and, on the basis of this, the securities that appear to be most advantageous at a given time are included in the portfolio. This targeted approach is described as so-called “stock picking” (see [Müller/Pester 2019, 229f]). Due to market fluctuations, there are thus regular purchases and sales of securities with the aim of achieving a higher return than the passive market. In the course of this, the percentage distribution of the asset classes in the portfolio can also be continuously adjusted and regular risk assessments carried out. As a result, the portfolio may be subject to constant change. The passive management approach is based on the strategy of maintaining the portfolio created at the beginning, including the asset allocation and the defined securities, unchanged and independent of market fluctuations. If a change in asset allocation should occur due to market fluctuations, the original state can be restored through various adjustment methods, also called “rebalancing”. In contrast to active management, this adjustment is not carried out on an ongoing basis, but at predetermined times or according to specific rules. In so-called “periodic rebalancing”, a restoration of the asset allocation is carried out as needed at the time of a previously defined temporal interval change. Another variant of rebalancing provides for an adjustment only if the portfolio value exceeds or falls below a previously defined mark, the threshold
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This excerpt distinguishes between Robo-advisors' active investment approach and passive investment approach, based on their product range but also on the composition of the individual products. Understanding the difference between the two approaches would allow us to better formulate strategies that incorporate Robo-advisory in them.
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Mukuru Adds Sign-Up Feature to WhatsApp - IT News Africa - Up to date technology news, ... - 1 views
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By signing up for Mukuru via WhatsApp, users will be able to bypass the onerous task of submitting Know-Your-Customer (KYC) documents to an agent or Mukuru branch in person. Instead, they can submit documents directly to Mukuru’s verifications team. Mukuru will then provide timely feedback via WhatsApp as to whether a prospective customer’s ID documents have been effectively verified or not (and if the customer needs to take further steps). “Our customers already use WhatsApp extensively to create money transfer transactions (comprising more than 30% of our total monthly transaction volume in SA) so we are naturally extending self sign-up services on this channel,” says Jury. “This capability removes key barriers for our customers and increases accessibility to important financial services in South Africa and across our network. By harnessing our technology expertise and ability to innovate around customer pain points, we are boosting financial inclusion by allowing customers to submit their own KYC documents and gain access to higher limits.”
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This excerpt is important because it reflects the importance of WhatsApp in the operations of Mukuru. 1- Whatsapp allows cheap KYC 2- Whatsapp is an extension of customer habits 3- Whatsappremoves barries to access financial services.
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“Our customers have been asking for a Mukuru App, and we have made sure to develop and present a solution that empowers our customers to send money back home to their families in an even safer and more convenient way. Mukuru has always given its customers the ability to transact when and wherever they need to through our existing USSD and WhatsApp offerings – the Mukuru App adds a richer experience and more control for a customer to manage their profile,”
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It is a good idea to use one of the most used social media application which is WhatsApp, it will be more easy for customers to make a payment or receive it. It is a good approach to make the transactions accessible and easy for everybody.
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“Our customers have been asking for a Mukuru App, and we have made sure to develop and present a solution that empowers our customers to send money back home to their families in an even safer and more convenient way. Mukuru has always given its customers the ability to transact when and wherever they need to through our existing USSD and WhatsApp offerings – the Mukuru App adds a richer experience and more control for a customer to manage their profile,”
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the introduction of Mukuru to social media is a great move since we live in an era where social media controls everything. it will also touch the z generation and will extend their target customers.
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A case-based reasoning approach to rate microcredit borrower risk in online Kiva P2P le... - 1 views
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he adopted approach is applied and evaluated employing a selection of cases from individual loans. From this perspective, the case base and the codified knowledge about how to evaluate risks associated with a loan represent two examples of knowledge IT artifacts.
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The authors discuss how the combination of available historical data on loans and their outcomes (structured as a case base) and available knowledge on how to evaluate the risk associated with a loan request can be used to provide the end users with an indication of the risk rating associated with a loan request based on similar past situations.
Thndr obtains brokerage licence, executes digital commission-free trading | ZAWYA MENA ... - 0 views
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The company is keen to work with companies specialising in the financial technology (fintech) solutions field, to contribute to the development of the Egyptian capital market sector.The most prominent of these partnerships includes a contract with the Egyptian Company for Information Dissemination (EGID).
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As Thndr helps both individuals and companies to easily deal in the Egyptian stock exchange, working with companies specializing in the financial technology solutions field is a must.
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Startup and equities trading platform, Thndr Securities Brokerage, has obtained approval from Egypt’s Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) to practice securities brokerage activities.Thndr is the first company in the Middle East to announce the provision of a zero commission on securities trading service.Its activities take place through an advanced electronic platform that enables dealers in the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) to view the latest developments and indicators at zero cost.
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Thndr is the first fintech to have a brokerage license in Egypt. Also, they aim to help users invest easily in the Egyptian Stock Exchange by employing wero comission on traded securities.
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M-Pesa - Wikipedia - 0 views
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M-Pesa is a branchless banking service; M-Pesa customers can deposit and withdraw money from a network of agents that includes airtime resellers and retail outlets acting as banking agents.
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M-PESA is unique because it offers branchless banking which makes transactions more efficient.
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It has since expanded to Tanzania, Mozambique, DRC, Lesotho, Ghana, Egypt, Afghanistan and South Africa. Meanwhile services in India, Romania, and Albania have been terminated amid low market uptake. M-Pesa allows users to deposit, withdraw, transfer money, pay for goods and services (Lipa na M-Pesa), access credit and savings, all with a mobile device.
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I like this excerpt because it describes where M-Pesa has successfully expanded and where the company's expansionist efforts failed.
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M-Pesa is widely seen as demonstrating that it is possible to make a profit while also improving the lives of the poor.[28] Tavneet Suri, based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and William Jack, based at Georgetown University have produced a series of papers extolling benefits of M-Pesa. In particular, their 2016 article published in "Science" has been very influential in the international development community. The much cited result of the paper was, that 'access to M-PESA increased per capita consumption levels and lifted 194,000 households, or 2% of Kenyan households, out of poverty.[29] Global development institutions focusing on the development potential of financial technology frequently cite M-Pesa as a major success story in this respect, citing the poverty-reduction-claim and including a reference to Suri and Jack’s 2016 signature article. In a report on "Financing for Development", the United Nations write: "The digitalization of finance offers new possibilities for greater financial inclusion and alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and implementation of the Social Development Goals. In Kenya, the expansion of mobile money lifted two per cent of households in the country above the poverty line."[30]
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This excerpt is important because it reports on academic research describing how M-Pesa is the living example of how the search for profit is not antithetical to inclusion and improvement of lives of the poor. Using M-Pesa as a case study, several researchers praise fintech for its ability to offer greater financial inclusion.
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What Kenya's mobile money success could mean for the Arab world - 1 views
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Thndr obtains brokerage licence, executes digital commission-free trading - Daily News ... - 0 views
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The company is keen to work with companies specialising in the financial technology (fintech) solutions field, to contribute to the development of the Egyptian capital market sector. The most prominent of these partnerships includes a contract with the Egyptian Company for Information Dissemination (EGID). The latter company has been the approved authority for distributing information to EGX listed companies in the country for more than 20 years. “By using technology and introducing an easy-to-use application, we hope to remove all barriers users face, whether by making the account opening process easier or reducing costs,” said Saif Amr, co-founder of Thndr. He added, “We help companies by facilitating dealing in the Egyptian Stock Exchange, but we intend to offer other investment options soon to suit all segments.”
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Thndr created lots of partnerships with other similar fintechs in different countries as well as important companies that provide data about interest rates, listed companies in the egyptian stock exchange, to make the investment profitable.
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SimbaPay unleashes Pan-African remittances chatbot - FinTech Futures - 1 views
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The chatbot will also enable 24/7 instant customer service for its customers across Africa and Europe. Daniel Howard, CTO for SimbaPay, says: “Another major objective we achieved with the chatbot service is that it also works without internet. This means customers with a mobile phone, even a basic phone without internet access, can access the SimbaPay chatbot using SMS.” Together with Interswitch, SimbaPay says its B2B division offers its instant remittance technology to banks and telcos who want to provide their customers with the service. To send money with an SMS users need the recipient’s phone number and the chatbot will automatically obtain the recipient bank account or mobile money details.
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The chatbot will also enable 24/7 instant customer service for its customers across Africa and Europe.
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