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nouhaila_zaki

M-Pesa: a Mobile Money success story from Kenya - Technology and Operations Management - 0 views

digital.hbs.edu/...money-success-story-from-kenya

M-Pesa Kenya Success Business Model

shared by nouhaila_zaki on 12 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • Given the up-front costs of acquiring agents, it is tempting for mobile money providers to want to take short cuts and minimize the agent-to-customer ratio. However, this does not set an individual agent up for success. If Safaricom were to recruit too few agents, customers would find M-Pesa difficult to use and difficult to access.. On the other hand, if there were too many agents, many of them would not be able to generate enough business to cover the cost of managing their e-cash and cash liquidity. As a result, they would stop maintaining their electronic money float and cash balances. M-Pesa’s success lies in the fact that they grew their agent network at the same pace as their customer base, keeping transactions per agent per month steady at around 1,000 / agent / month.
  • According to a McKinsey report on Mobile Money, proximity of nearest agent makes a significant impact on transaction volumes. “When a cash agent is more than 15 minutes away, mobile money has relatively little appeal, and customers use it once or twice a month. But when the agent is less than 10 minutes away, usage rises to 10 times a month—and for those within 2 minutes of an agent, to 30 times a month.” Safaricom spread its agents out across Kenya so as to truly enable network effects and enable Kenyans to send e-cash to their family members and friends even if they did not live in the same geography.
  • Customers who sign up for the M-Pesa service can convert between e-cash and real cash (these are called cash-in / cash-out transactions), and can transfer e-cash from their account to that of another account holder via SMS.
    • kenzabenessalah
      kenzabenessalah on 12 Feb 21
       
      M-PESA gives people the option of converting their e-cash to real cash which is not the case in most services.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Customers who sign up for the M-Pesa service can convert between e-cash and real cash (these are called cash-in / cash-out transactions), and can transfer e-cash from their account to that of another account holder via SMS. Cash-in / cash-out operations take place at one of many designated M-Pesa retail outlets, also known as “agents”. These agents are not employed by Safaricom, but are simply retailers / regular businessmen and women that are ‘authorized’ to trade e-cash for real cash.
    • ghtazi
      ghtazi on 13 Feb 21
       
      m-pesa is a company that allows its customers to convert between e-cash and real cash.
  • Although some of M-Pesa’s initial success could be attributed to a uniquely favorable context for mobile-payments (strong customer need, welcoming regulatory environment, support from banks, strong brand awareness of Safaricom), its rapid and sustained growth was only possible due to a thoughtful operating model design, particularly regarding M-Pesa’s “agent network.”
    • nourserghini
      nourserghini on 13 Feb 21
       
      M-pesa's success goes back to its advantageous situation in Africa as well as it successful operating model design.
  • Revenue from transaction fees that Safaricom collects via the agent during cash withdrawal operations and transfer operations (depositing money into mobile wallet is free). Reduce Safaricom customers’ churn, improve engagement, lifetime value etc.
    • sawsanenn
      sawsanenn on 13 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt shows the business model that M-pesa follows and thier values
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 13 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt is important because it reports the two ways in which Safaricom makes value through M-Pesa: on the one hand revenues from transaction fees collected via agents, and on the other hand, the reduction of Safaricom customers' churn.
  • Safaricom pays commission to its “agents”, usually on a monthly basis, based on metrics such as transactions per branch, customers per branch, and quantities transacted, etc. Because it takes agents a couple months to ‘ramp up’ at their branch by attracting M-Pesa customers and convincing them to start transacting, the business model of M-Pesa incurs significant up-front costs and is one of the reasons many mobile-money deployments fail in the early days. Mobile-Money becomes profitable only when it goes viral. According to a McKinsey report, to make mobile money for the unbanked commercially viable, operators and telco’s like Safaricom “must sign up 15 to 20 percent of the addressable market.”
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 13 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt describes M-Pesa's business model, which consists of paying commissions to agents, incurring significant up-front costs and relying on mobile-money to become viral for success.
  • mohammed_ab on 12 Feb 21
     
    I think that it's interesting to see that agents are playing a vital role in the success of M-Pesa in Kenya. The company knew about the costs related to acquiring agents, but they also knew that recruiting too few agents will kill the solution M-Pesa is providing. In addition to that, M-Pesa tried to spread its agents all over Kenya to make their solution available and easy to access anywhere in Kenya.
ghtazi

Pennysmart - Next generation bank for African millennials. | SARECO - 0 views

www.sareco.org/...n-bank-for-african-millennials

Sareco fintech Advantage

shared by ghtazi on 27 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • Customer Problem: With excessive charges, high minimum investment required with complicated KYC processes and low interest rates, those wanting to save will typically avoid using their bank accounts. Instead savings are stored in cash or mobile money, with their value steadily decreasing due to high rates of inflation.
    • sawsanenn
      sawsanenn on 27 Feb 21
       
      reason why launching pennysmart a competitor of Invest Mobile
  • Competitive Advantage: ● Only company Mobile Money subscription payment in West Africa ● First Mover Advantage in Ghana ● Pan African team with previous founding experience ● Highly Scalable business model due to adoption Mobile Money in Africa ● Viral and high network effects inherent in our services enabling us to grow fast with less cost
    • ghtazi
      ghtazi on 27 Feb 21
       
      this excerpt shows the competitive advantages of Sareco
mohammed_ab

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

www.belatrixsf.com/...creating-strategy-fintech

Fintech Strategy M-Pesa Alliances

shared by mohammed_ab on 13 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • 1. Millennials squared – a parable of a digital wallet and beer moneyEarlier this year Sam Crowder stood up at a televised baseball game, and held a sign asking his Mum to send him “beer money”. He included his Venmo account information. Thousands of people sent him money, as his sign went viral. Beyond sharing this story as advice in case you ́re ever thirsty and leave your wallet at home, what it reflects is how the use of new technologies may start with digital natives, but then rapidly spread to other generations. It reflects the inter-generational adoption of, and use of, FinTech technologies.So, when looking at the potential of new services, it is important not just to consider the young people who will adopt it. But what will happen when they introduce the technology to their friends and family. Millennials are the earthquake that shakes companies, and adopt new tech and services at lightning speed. The rest of us are the tsunami of adoption that follows and lead to exponential growth.
  • 2. Facebook, Amazon, Google or Ant Financial will become the largest retail bank in the worldIt’s 2020 and to apply for a loan, instead of going to your local bank branch, you quickly ask Facebook for approval. This is far from fanciful thinking. Even as of today, PayPal is arguably one of the largest retail banks — it has more money in deposits than all but the largest 20 US banks, and offers services from payments, to loans and credit cards (albeit currently via partners). But we believe that one of the major tech companies, whether that is Facebook, Amazon, Google, or Ant Financial (the financial arm of Alibaba) will not only transform retail banking, but rapidly become the largest retail bank in the world.“Some bankers and analyststhink that Google, Facebook, Amazon or the like will not fully enter a highly regulated, low-margin business such as banking. I disagree. What is more, I think banks that are not prepared for such new competitors face certain death”Francisco González, CEO, BBVA
  • hese major tech companies have the platform and the scale to upend retail banking. They already have a digital wallet which underlies the services that enable users to buy and sell on their platforms, such as Google Wallet and Amazon Payments. Facebook Messenger Pay is already available in the US while it recently received an e-money license from the Central Bank of Ireland. This means European users will be able to store and transfer money, and make online purchases. The transition to becoming the largest retail bank in the world will be swift and brutal for traditional banks.
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • 3. Regulators finally make the pivot to supporting the FinTech ecosystemBitX, a bitcoin startup in Singapore, was looking to enter the UK and European markets. Instead of having an arduous journey gaining the required licenses and approvals as it would have expected in the past, BitX was accepted into the regulatory sandbox of the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority. This enabled it to test its services and build its product with the backing of the regulator. This kind of thinking reflects how in the past few years we have seen regulators move from hindering innovation and new services, to proactively supporting and strengthening the FinTech ecosystem.It is a challenging line to take, particularly in the
  • world of finance – to help create the framework and environment for innovation, while also protecting consumers and businesses. However, increasingly we see regulators getting this blend right.For example, the European Union’s Directive on Payment Services (PSD2) will create an EU-wide single market for payments. This will drive new opportunities and innovation in the payment sector, because it will force financial institutions to provide secure access for a third-party service provider to a customer’s online account. Meanwhile, we have seen regulatory sandboxes emerge not just in the UK, but in locations from Singapore to Australia. The US Treasury meanwhile recently announced it will start issuing special purpose national bank charters to FinTech companies.In the future, expect to see the emergence of “RegTech”. This will enable real-time interaction and analysis between regulators and financial institutions. Indeed, thi
  • ch as in New York, London or Singapore. So, although the UK dominates the world of fintech (generating an estimated £6.6billion in FinTech related revenue), leading organizations are looking for inspiration among the innovative services, products and ideas being created from Guadalajara, to Laos, to Kenya.In many cases we can see that the unique financial environment of these locations is resulting in novel ideas. For example, Guadalajara based start-up Kueski uses a person’s digital footprint to assess their credit worthiness – a particular challenge in Mexico where credit is not available to large swathes of the population. In Latin America Tigo Cash is a mobile financial service which already handles more cash than many financial institutions in the region. We will see markets and services emerging which are currently not on anyone’s map, and become some of the most important financial organizations in the world.
    • samiatazi
      samiatazi on 13 Feb 21
       
      this article points out 4 expectations for the fate of FinTech and Financial services. However, I think that the most interesting one is the last one which states that The effect of FinTech advancement is frequently made and experienced outside the usual Hub of Finance, for example, New York, London or Singapore. Giant Companies are searching for inspiration among innovative and creative products, items and thoughts being made from Guadalajara, to Laos, to Kenya. I really like this part too, stating that We will see markets and administrations arising which are as of now not on anybody's guide, and become the absolute most significant Fintechs on the planet.
  • software platform between itself and the banks, so it can view and analyze information in real-time.4. Look beyond the hubs to find innovative ideasAcross Kenya, mobile money has become ubiquitous – being used by at least one person in 96% of Kenyan households. But what is the real impact of mobile money in such countries? One study estimated that M-PESA, the Kenyan mobile money system which enables money to be stored on a phone and be sent via text, has helped lift 2% of Kenyan households out of poverty.What this example demonstrates is that the impact of FinTech innovation is often created and experienced outside of the usual hubs of finance su
  • In the past few years we have seen the rapid evolution of FinTech from generating novel ideas which solve customer problems, to offering core financial services. We have seen the shift from digital startups, characterized by a lack of financial wherewithal and which operated on the edge of tightly regulated markets, to the emergence of mature financial digital organizations at the heart of the traditional financial world.We can describe the development and maturing of FinTech in 3 main waves:The early emergence of digital startups helping consumers. Originally FinTech solutions were the preserve of B2C markets which solved specific customer problems such as offering home loans faster and easier. They used new technologies such as mobile and cloud computing, and were characterized by a laser focus on the customer with all the hall-marks of a digital Silicon-Valley style start-up.Transition to B2B markets. Today FinTech plays a role at the core of B2B innovation in financial markets, and industry observers widely expect B2B FinTech revenues to dwarf those in consumer markets within the next couple of years. Organizations such as Currency Cloud (cross border B2B payments), Payoneer Escrow (escrow services), and Hummingbill (B2B invoice platform) all reflect a maturing industry.The creation of an ecosystem between FinTech and traditional players. FinTech organizations are realizing that the required go-to-market investment, economies of scale, and regulatory needs, means it makes sense to partner with traditional financial institutions. On the other side, established players recognize the value, innovation and potential of FinTech in a world which is increasingly mobile-first. These financial institutions are also adopting many of the methods that FinTechs use so successfully, from a focus on the customer, to using Agile software development, to holding hackathons, and forming accelerators and innovation programs.
    • sawsanenn
      sawsanenn on 13 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt is important because it shows the three waves that each fintech companies go through. Currently, most companies are still in b2b markets which an new innovative role in the financial markets; howver, not all companies are doing the same thing. Some of them still need a real bank ( Not virtual) to make transactions and don't trust softwares.
  • ch as in New York, London or Singapore. So, although the UK dominates the world of fintech (generating an estimated £6.6billion in FinTech related revenue), leading organizations are looking for inspiration among the innovative services, products and ideas being created from Guadalajara, to Laos, to Kenya.In many cases we can see that the unique financial environment of these locations is resulting in novel ideas. For example, Guadalajara based start-up Kueski uses a person’s digital footprint to assess their credit worthiness – a particular challenge in Mexico where credit is not available to large swathes of the population. In Latin America Tigo Cash is a mobile financial service which already handles more cash than many financial institutions in the region. We will see markets and services emerging which are currently not on anyone’s map, and become some of the most important financial organizations in the world.
    • ghtazi
      ghtazi on 13 Feb 21
       
      What this example shows is that beyond the usual finance hubs, such as in New York, London, or Singapore, the influence of FinTech innovation is also generated and experienced.
  • It’s 2020 and to apply for a loan, instead of going to your local bank branch, you quickly ask Facebook for approval. This is far from fanciful thinking. Even as of today, PayPal is arguably one of the largest retail banks — it has more money in deposits than all but the largest 20 US banks, and offers services from payments, to loans and credit cards (albeit currently via partners). But we believe that one of the major tech companies, whether that is Facebook, Amazon, Google, or Ant Financial (the financial arm of Alibaba) will not only transform retail banking, but rapidly become the largest retail bank in the world.
  • mohammed_ab on 13 Feb 21
     
    This article explains how the big e-commerce giant Amazon and the dominant social media platforms will become the largest retail banks in the future. I think that M-Pesa could benefit from strategic alliances or partnerships with these big giants.
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