MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: GSMA Facilitates Launch of Interoperable Mobile Money Services in Madagascar

The Groupe Special Mobile Association (GSMA), a membership organization of 800 telecoms operating under the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standard, recently announced that all of the mobile operators present in Madagascar- Airtel Money, mVola and Orange Money- will make their services interoperable across the country.

A statement from GSMA asserts that “this will allow transactions to flow seamlessly across mobile money providers …delivering life enhancing financial services to customers. [1]”

Airtel is based in India; mVola is a service of Telma, a telecom in Madagascar; and Orange is based in France. As of December 2015, the country had 4 million mobile money users, more than users of traditional bank accounts.

About GSM Association (GSMA)

The GSM Association (GSMA) was founded in 1995 as a follow-up to 1987’s Groupe Special Mobile, an agreement which has since evolved into a set of standards known as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). GSMA organizes events and otherwise seeks to serve the interests of approximately 800 mobile operators and 300 other companies as of 2016, including software companies, equipment providers, internet companies, and handset and device makers.

By Sharanya Madhavan, Research Associate

Sources and Additional Resources:

[1] GSMA: GSMA ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF NATIONAL INTEROPERABLE MOBILE MONEY SERVICE ACROSS MADAGASCAR

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