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.
Tag: Mobile Banking
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Institutions in Pakistan to be Registered as Non-Banking Financial Companies, Regulated by Securities and Exchange Commission
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) recently announced plans to bring all non-deposit taking microfinance institutions (MFIs) and related nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) under the non-banking finance company (NBFC) framework in an effort to improve the regulation and monitoring of their activities.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Tigo Tanzania Distributes $2.5m in Profit to Customers, Agents of Digital Payment Platform Tigo Pesa
Tigo Tanzania, a brand of Swedish telecom provider Millicom, recently announced it paid TZS 5.6 billion (USD 2.5 million) of its profits to Tigo Pesa users.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: KCB Bank, GoSwiff Roll Out Mobile Payments Solution in Rwanda
Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB), a Kenya-based publicly traded financial services company, and GoSwiff, a Singapore-based payment facilitation firm, recently rolled out a mobile payment solution for merchants in Rwanda.
MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Flexible Microloan Repayment Schedules in Bangladesh; Merchant Acceptance of Digital Payments in Developing Countries; Global Standard-setting Bodies and Financial Inclusion
“Cost-Benefit Analysis of Traditional Versus Flexible Microfinance in Bangladesh;” by S. Bairagi, W. Bin Shadat; published by the Copenhagen Consensus Center; May 2016; 32 pages; available at: http://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/sites/default/files/bin_shadat_microfinance.pdf
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Accion Venture Lab Invests in Alternative Credit Scoring Firm Aire
Accion, a US-based nonprofit providing microfinance services in 32 countries, recently announced that it will invest an undisclosed amount of money in Aire, a UK-based startup focused on credit score data analytics.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Cignifi, Equifax to Generate Credit Scores Based on Mobile Phone Usage in Latin America
Cignifi, a US-based provider of information technology, and Equifax, a US-based consumer credit reporting agency, recently announced a “multi-year partnership” to offer credit scores in Latin America.
MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: MFI Client Satisfaction and Consumer Protection in Peru; Mobile Microfinance Users Predicted to Triple by 2020; Mobilizing Savings Through Agency Banking
“Voice of the Client: An analysis of client satisfaction and consumer protection across four microfinance institutions in Peru,” by J. Foelster, A. Pierantozzi, M. Pistelli; published by the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) in collaboration with Hivos People Unlimited; February 2016; 31 pages; available at: http://www.themix.org/sites/default/files/Voice%20of%20the%20Client%20Peru_0.pdf
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Telenor Pakistan Acquires Additional 49% Equity Stake in Tameer Microfinance Bank, Bringing Its Ownership to 100%
Telenor Pakistan, a subsidiary of Norway-based telecom provider Telenor Group, recently bought additional shares of the Tameer Microfinance Bank, a Pakistan-based provider of microfinance services, increasing its stake from 51 percent to 100 percent.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: SimbaPay Enables Remittances to Kenya, Nigeria from 5 Additional European Countries
SimbaPay, a UK-based digital money transfer service, recently announced it is expanding its money transfer service to France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: GSMA Launching “Connected Women Commitment” to Extend Mobile Money, Internet Usage Among Women
The GSM Association (GSMA), a coordinating group for telecoms operating under the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standard, recently announced that it and its members are launching the “Connected Women Commitment” with the goal of lessening the “mobile gender gap” [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Stellar, Oradian Set Up Payment Transfer Network Among Rural Nigerian Microfinance Institutions
Stellar, a US-based nonprofit technology provider, and Oradian, a Croatia-based software developer serving financial organizations in West Africa, are setting up a “payment transfer network” to connect rural Nigerian microfinance institutions (MFIs).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Mobile Phone Service Provider Tigo Tanzania Launching Tigo Nivushe Microlending Product
Tigo Tanzania, a brand of Swedish telecom provider Millicom, recently announced the launch of a “nano-lending product” named Tigo Nivushe.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: “Mifos Tech Days 2016 – Innovation for Innovators” to Examine Implementation of Open Source Microbanking Information System Mifos, March 8-11, 2016, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Event Name: Mifos Tech Days 2016 – “Innovation for Innovators”
Event Dates: March 8-11, 2016
Event Location: Volkshotel, Amsterdam, Netherlands
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN): Telecommunications Company May Have Violated Mobile Banking Regulations
A large telecommunications company, which has not been identified, is reportedly under investigation by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) because of its work with two Nigerian banks on establishing mobile banking services.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Globe Telecom of the Philippines to Expand GCash Mobile Services to Point of Sale (POS)
Globe Telecom, a telecommunications company in the Philippines, is reportedly planning on expanding its GCash mobile services to include point-of-sale (POS).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: President Al Bashir, Central Bank of Sudan (CBOS) Plan 500 New Microfinance Services Centers to Employ 1,000 Graduates
President Al Bashir of Sudan recently met with the Governor of the Central Bank of Sudan (CBOS), Mohamed Khair Alzubeir, to discuss the state of the Sudanese economy as well as specifics of a planned expansion of banking services throughout the country.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Kenya to Levy 10% Tax on Mobile Money Transactions
Kenya’s government recently announced a 10-percent excise duty will be charged on fees for cash transactions executed using mobile money transfer systems.