Spring 21 Capstone 640pm

echnology and its trends has made our lives easier especially in the fields of financial technology and payments. Now there are more advanced ways of payments and one of the most important players in Egypt in this field is Fawry. Fawry offers financial services to consumers and businesses through different channels and locations. Through Fawry you can pay your mobile, landline and utilities bills, donate money, renew your car license and more. Fawry was founded in 2008 and officially started in the market in 2010. They now have offered their service to reach 80,000 points of service in 300 cities all over Egypt. Their portfolio of businesses include: Orange, Vodafone, Etisalat, Go Bus, Lynks, Anghami, Ahl Misr Foundation, Resala and more

We started by hiring the best people we could find, for any startup to succeed it needs a really strong team especially at the beginning. We also got a good fund at the beginning from different entities such as Raya Holding, Technology Development Fund (Ideavelopers), Arab African International Bank, HSBC, Alexbank and other banks, this is what helped us build our brand.

Strong team management and good negotiation skills. The second thing is that it was a mutual investment fund, those investors already liked Fawry’s model and didn’t want to change anything but just help accelerate our growth with some cash. We are now a large corporate but with the spirit of a startup. Even until now, we appreciate everyone’s input at the company whether they have been working here for a month or 5 years. it doesn’t matter.

Carbon (Formerly Paylater Ghana)Paylater or Carbon is another Ghanaian lending platform which operates online and is for all calibre of people. The company believes in giving out financial assistance to deserving individuals without the need for collateral or any physical contacts.All payments and application are done solely via Paylater’s mobile application which is currently available on Google Playstore. With Paylater, you can borrow money from 5 cedis and above depending on how you have been able to pay the previous loan you took and the availability of funds at the time. Also, there are no late payment fees with Pay later or Carbon. It’s just your loan amount plus interest.

the NBER disseminates affiliates’ latest findings through a range of free periodicals — the NBER Reporter, the NBER Digest, the Bulletin on Retirement and Disability, and the Bulletin on Health — as well as online conference reports, video lectures, and interviews.

Fintech is one of the buzziest trends in financial services right now, and no financial institution wants to be left behind. But with seemingly boundless opportunities, how do you know which fintech partnerships make sense for your FI? Here are seven tips for making sure your fintech activities align with your business strategy: Start with a clearly defined business strategy. Strategy, not technology, should drive your fintech decisions. Before considering any fintech partnerships, make sure you have a clearly defined and communicated business strategy that aligns with your FI’s objectives. Don’t get on board with a promising technology and then build a strategy around it. Don’t blindly jump into opportunities that fall in your lap—seek out partnerships that will support your goals. Don’t just sign on for a fintech partnership because it sounds cool. Only experiment with fintech if you have a goal and purpose in mind. Think about what you’re trying to accomplish. Don’t spread your focus too thinly. Not every new initiative needs to have ties to a fintech partnership. Only experiment in areas that are important to your business. Use your limited resources to explore fintech that can make a significant contribution to your FI. Experimenting with fintech partnerships that do nothing to drive bottom-line results may not be a good use of time and effort.

A lot of times an FI will direct IT staff to develop fintech partnerships. While IT has a lot of insight to offer, they don’t have all the information to drive the decision. Business and IT need to work together to find and deploy fintech partnerships that make sense. It shouldn’t be a strictly business or tech initiative.

Fintech is one of the buzziest trends in financial services right now, and no financial institution wants to be left behind. But with seemingly boundless opportunities, how do you know which fintech partnerships make sense for your FI? Here are seven tips for making sure your fintech activities align with your business strategy: Start with a clearly defined business strategy. Strategy, not technology, should drive your fintech decisions. Before considering any fintech partnerships, make sure you have a clearly defined and communicated business strategy that aligns with your FI’s objectives. Don’t get on board with a promising technology and then build a strategy around it. Don’t blindly jump into opportunities that fall in your lap—seek out partnerships that will support your goals. Don’t just sign on for a fintech partnership because it sounds cool. Only experiment with fintech if you have a goal and purpose in mind. Think about what you’re trying to accomplish. Don’t spread your focus too thinly. Not every new initiative needs to have ties to a fintech partnership. Only experiment in areas that are important to your business. Use your limited resources to explore fintech that can make a significant contribution to your FI. Experimenting with fintech partnerships that do nothing to drive bottom-line results may not be a good use of time and effort.

You can now get electricity when you need it then later pay later! Okoa Stima allows you to borrow any amount based on your pre-determined credit limit. This limit is based on your historical relationship with Kenya Power. The loan comes at a facility fee of 10% and is payable in 7 days. Your M-PESA account will be deducted with amount of top plus facility fee so there is no delay. You will be able to register up to 3 meters and tokens purchased/Bill paid cannot be used on another meter except the 3 you have registered. To take advantage of this great service just dial *885# from your mobile phone.

With Carbon, all loan requests, processes and payments are done via their android platform mobile app.You can borrow from as low as 5 cedis to as high as 1,000 cedis without the need to provide a collateral.All that is required of you as a loan applicant is your bio-data, your photograph, information about your employment and the loan amount you want.Once your loan has been reviewed and you pass the review process, your money is sent via the mobile wallet you applied with.

Going to Nairobi or Mombasa? Start off your Madaraka Express experience in style. Simply dial *639# to buy a Madaraka Express ticket and pay via M-PESA. It’s easy and fast! Buy up to a maximum of 5 tickets in one transaction 24/7 from the comfort of your home, office or even while on the go. You can book your ticket seven (7) days in advance plus a return ticket as long as it is within (seven) 7 day window period. You may also buy tickets over the counter at the Mombasa and Nairobi termini and at the respective departing intermediate station or by calling 0709 388888 and paying via M-PESA Group bookings of over 20 passengers must be made nine (9) days to the travel date.

SnapScan lets users make payments with their phone – quickly, easily, and safely. All SnapScan-supported stores have their own unique SnapCode (which is a QR code), and customers can make a payment in-store to them by scanning the code using the camera on their phone and the SnapScan app. Additionally, SnapScan lets users send money to friends, make online payments, pay bills, buy prepaid services in the app, and earn UCount Rewards Points when making a purchase.

All SnapScan-supported stores have their own unique SnapCode (which is a QR code), and customers can make a payment in-store to them by scanning the code using the camera on their phone and the SnapScan app. Additionally, SnapScan lets users send money to friends, make online payments, pay bills, buy prepaid services in the app, and earn UCount Rewards Points when making a purchase

SnapScan is compatible with most bank cards, as well as the Standard Bank Virtual Card, and as a result is currently one of the most popular mobile payment apps in South Africa.

Fawry subsidiary Fawry Microfinance will receive a combined 310 million through loan and credit facilities with the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund (EAEF) and Banque Misr respectively. The ordinary general assembly of Fawry for e-payments has approved a EGP 160 million loan between Fawry Microfinance and the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund. They also approved a financing offer by Banque Misr, a board member and shareholder, which would grant Fawry credit facilities with an authorized limit of EGP 150 million. EAEF owns a 9.7 percent stake in Fawry while Banque Misr owns 6.3 percent.

Thanks to SnapScan the Feenix community can now make a monthly contribution to fund students.Feenix allows everyday people and businesses to donate what they can so students can graduate and actively participate in our economy. We believe that access to education should not be dependent on wealth. Driven by our community’s commitment to combat student-debt we were inspired to find the safest, easiest and most convenient way for the community to make donations on a monthly basis.  As a result, we have partnered with SnapScan! The innovative mobile payment application that allows funders to make donations quickly. Launched in 2013, SnapScan has changed the way we make payments-one snap at a time!With the snap of the unique Feenix QR code you can make an immediate donation. By scanning the code, you will be given the option to not only make a once-off donation, but also set up a recurring donation from as little as the cost of two coffees, the amount is up to you! Scan Now to start donating monthly.

These recurring SnapScan donations go into the Feenix Pool Fund, the collective fund made up of donations from different funders which is then allocated to students according to the B-BBEE scorecard. Preference is also given to students who are active and involved with Feenix. All funds are paid directly to the applicable universities on a semiannual basis or at the Trustees discretion.You can make a difference today! No need for cash, cards or EFTs. SnapScan enables you to make a simple and safe donation that will alleviate the impact of financial stress on students. The benefit of SnapScan donations means that you can make a donation from wherever you find yourself. You’ll be able to view your recurring donations on the SnapScan app and are free to cancel your monthly donation at any time ensuring that you have control over your contributions.So #JOINTHECROWD and make your donation today. When you donate to the Feenix Pool Fund, you support the vision for a society in which all are able to fulfil their potential regardless of wealth.

Nigerian fintech startup, Carbon, just announced that it has launched a $100,000 pan-African fund for startups.According to the company, the Carbon Disrupt Fund was set up to address the lack of funding and support holding back budding tech entrepreneurs on the continent. It will invest up to $10,000 per startup in exchange for a 5% equity.Also, startups will have access to Carbon’s API, and leverage Carbon’s growing customer base and innovative technology platform, to get to market faster. Additionally, the fund will provide mentorship, access to Carbon’s customers and payment platform, as well as office space in Carbon’s Lagos offices.

The 2008 financial crisis has generated a confidence loss among financial institutions (banks), businesses, and customers. This erosion of trust is getting worse over time because of the financial services offered by their banks that have been deemed to be outdated by the clients. In our century, the march of technology, internet connectivity, and digital connectivity toward financial institutions are inevitable. This economic downturn leads financial institutions to turn to technology in order to improve their services vis-a-vis the clients, and prevent the spread of this trust crisis. In many financial service organizations, technology has moved from the back offices to the front. The industry has become the world’s most digitized one according to Strategy & Analysis; they say that 60 percent of all retail banking transactions now are done online. In Europe, more than 47 percent of ultra-high-net-worth individuals use Facebook and more than 40 percent of high-net-worth individuals under the age of 50 view social media as an important channel for communicating with their bank, according to a recent study by Assetinum. Similarly, a recent Deutsche Bank study finds that more than 33 percent of all new banking business with customers between the ages of 16 and 39 is conducted fully on the Web. Among these younger clients, online channels (including social media) have become one of the most important information sources for investment decisions