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Eth Switch, established by the 17 commercial banks to integrate Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and Point of Sale (PoS), has already implemented Ethio Pay cards in five commercial banks so far, whereas the remaining are still use visa cards. Until now, the banks have been paying a lot of money for using the trademark of the VISA cards.

Eth Switch S.C, the consortium of private banks, is to implement electronic cards belonging to the same brand- Ethio Pay, in all the banks of the country. Eth Switch, established by the 17 commercial banks to integrate Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and Point of Sale (PoS), has already implemented Ethio Pay cards in five commercial banks so far, whereas the remaining are still use visa cards. Until now, the banks have been paying a lot of money for using the trademark of the VISA cards. The utilisation of Ethio Pay branded electronic cards will harness the hard currency payment to foreign companies, according to the company's management. Currently, over six million people are using ATM Visa cards. Founded in 2011, with a capital of 80 million Br, Eth-Switch facilitated transactions worth 2.9 billion Br in the past fiscal year. Source: All Africa

Belcash Ethiopia, a subsidiary of Netherlands-based Belcash Technology Solutions, was established in 2011. It currently is working with Lion International Bank, Cooperative Bank of Oromia, Wegagen Bank and Somali Micro Finance Institution to launch a pilot project this week.

Currently, 40 women from the group have received training by Belcash on how to grow brands and package products. They were also given awareness training on digital platforms.

An expert on ICT at the Addis Abeba University for more than one and half decades appreciates that such a platform has been realised as it creates more market exposure for micro-enterprises.“In parallel to the platform, people in micro-enterprises should be trained to utilise different websites and other e-system alternatives to develop their businesses and enter markets on their own,” said Mesfin Fikre (PhD).Lack of an e-payment system, together with regressive policies and regulations for financial inclusion, are the main reasons for the lack of financial technology’s growth in Ethiopia, according to Zewdu.

For buyers abroad, Belcash introduced Helloshop, a platform that allows domestic products to be ordered through the firm’s portal and the payment to be processed through Mastercard Payment Gateway Services

Hellomarket will be the platform used for local transactions, enabling buyers to order, deliver and pay for goods through electronic banking services. Belcash has signed an agreement with DHL Express, a Germany company, for logistics services.

WorldRemit transfers can be sent from over 50 countries and received in over 150 countries.

WorldRemit uses many methods to protect your transaction and is authorized and regulated by many government agencies.

Right now, SnapScan is only available at formal merchants but the hope is that the e-currency could flow from the phones of customers to the accounts of informal merchants too. It can even be used to send remittances.

"It's way better as opposed to using your credit card or cash," he says, adding that he was surprised to find out that SnapScan was a tech company that started in South Africa.

Sending money to Somaliland Ismail’s home country was difficult. Most money transfer companies and banks charged exorbitant rates and took longer to complete transfers. Convinced that technology would help cut transaction costs and send money faster, Ismail started WorldRemit. General Payment Options Supported Currencies Support

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.

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.

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.

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.