Fortumo expands into Algeria, Ghana and Tanzania

The mobile payments company Fortumo announced today that it has expanding its carrier billing services to 3 new African markets. More than 79 million mobile phone owners in Algeria, Ghana and Tanzania can now make payments for digital services.

“Africa’s digital ecosystem is quickly growing and we are seeing strong interest from international merchants who want to expand their activities there. While each day a large amount of new smartphone owners are coming online, collecting payments from these users has so far been a challenge. Our expansion in Africa gives locals better access to digital mobile services such as games, music, and video while helping merchants generate additional revenue from the region,” said Gerri Kodres, Chief Business Officer at Fortumo.

Fortumo services app stores including Google Play, digital media providers including Spotify, Sony, HOOQ, Gaana and gaming companies like EA Mobile, Gameloft and Kinguin with carrier billing, local market insights and facilitates relationships with mobile operators.

All three markets where Fortumo has launched have extremely low credit card penetration: Algeria at 6%, Ghana at 0.9% and Tanzania at 0.7%. This means while people can access online content, most of them are unable to make payments for paid features of these services.

Carrier billing solves this problem by allowing any mobile owner to make payments conveniently through their carrier and either deduct payments from their airtime balance or charge them to their monthly phone bill. Additional information on Africa’s digital ecosystem can be found from Fortumo’s recent market report.

In the Middle Eastern and African region, carrier billing through Fortumo is now available to more than 600 million people in 24 countries. Globally, over 3.5 billion people in 97 countries can make payments using their mobile phone with merchants who have integrated Fortumo.

Source: itnewsafrica

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HALOTEL SIGNS PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT WITH NMB ON MONEY TRANSFER SERVICES

Halotel has today partnered with NMB to allow five Million Halotel and NMB customers enjoy cash deposit and withdraw services from HaloPesa.

This well designed integration will enable all HaloPesa customers to send money from their respective HaloPesa wallet to any NMB account at the comfort of their fingertips anytime and anywhere. This service also enables NMB customers by using NMB mobile to send money from their respective account to any HaloPesa wallet and access the cash at HaloPesa agent.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam while launching the new partnership, Halotel Deputy Managing Director, Le Van Dai, noted that the partnership is a big step for Halotel Tanzania, as it will enable Millions of Tanzanians to access banking transactions through HaloPesa.

Le Van Dai said Halotel is extending its HaloPesa agent network to NMB to make easy different banking transaction. ''and the target for this service is customers in remote areas and those who have a limited time to visit NMB branches to access banking services, but they can now do that with HaloPesa,” said Le Van Dai, insisting that teachers, fishermen, business people and farmers, most of which do not have time to visit the NMB branches due to busy daily schedules, and by so doing allowing NMB customers to deposit money conveniently into their bank account by a simple and easy to procedure  to follow the process of transferring money directly from HaloPesa wallet to NMB account’’

‘’And at the same time we are bringing NMB customers closer to their bank account by enabling withdrawals and deposit from the bank directly into the HaloPesa wallets everywhere across the country”

He added that, ''Halotel is now accessible to 95% of the country's population, with more than 30,000 HaloPesa agents. we believe this partnership will bring both NMB and HaloPesa services closer to the people. This service is essential to both Halotel and NMB customers, most of whom have not been able to access mobile banking services.

The NMB's Acting Chief of Retail Banking – Abdulmajid Nsekela said “Through this strong and long term partnership, NMB will be able to extend its distribution channels and in turn contribute significantly in improving customer’s lives and economy in urban and remote areas of the country”.

“The introduction of this service linked to NMB mobile will enable more than 2,000,000 NMB customers registered to NMB mobile to deposit money from HaloPesa to NMB account and also send money to other HaloPesa recipients from their NMB accounts at a very affordable rate. Said Nsekela adding that

“All NMB customers who are registered to NMB mobile will not need to visit NMB branches to make deposits to their accounts or transfer money to their business partners, friends and families. Introduction of this service enables any NMB mobile customer to send money to any HaloPesa wallet,” He further explained that,

“This enables teachers, police, nurses and all salaried workers who are passing their salaries through NMB account to be able to access their salaries without a need of visiting NMB branch. They can now simply send money from NMB account to HaloPesa wallet and withdraw cash at any HaloPesa Agent. The integration also enables customers to deposit cash to any NMB account by a simple transfer from HaloPesa wallet to any NMB account,” Nsekela concluded. 

The Introduction of this service will create convenience to all Tanzanian but mostly allowing the unbanked and under banked communities to access financial services close to them. NMB continues its commitment to drive financial inclusion and promote digital banking through innovation.  

Source: NMB

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Mastercard and Unilever Join Forces to Empower Small and Micro Businesses in Emerging Markets

At Mobile World Congress, Mastercard and Unilever today announced a strategic partnership to collaborate on a range of joint initiatives aimed at empowering small and micro businesses in emerging markets. By combining their expertise and reach, the companies intend to unlock economic growth and further advance specific Sustainable Development Goals such as poverty reduction and sustainable cities and communities.

According to the World Bank, there are somewhere between 365 and 445 million micro-, small and medium enterprises in the developing world, representing the economic backbone of many local communities. Yet, the true potential for these businesses remains untapped. Some of the biggest barriers for their further growth include limited market information, poor access to money, and a lack of financial management skills.

Matching Unilever distribution network with digital payments from Mastercard

By matching up Unilever’s network of distributors in developing countries with digital payment and acceptance solutions from Mastercard, technology resources will be activated to drive inclusive growth at greater scale.

As a first step, Mastercard and Unilever will explore ways to enable better access to formal financial tools for smaller retail outlets while also building entrepreneurship capacity, particularly for women and girls. Additional focus areas may include joint efforts to increase the usage of electronic payments across both wholesale and retail locations.

“Too many small merchants and micro entrepreneurs are stuck, like their customers, in a cash economy that doesn’t work for them,” said Ajay Banga, president and CEO, Mastercard. “With Unilever, we can bring a unique combination of technology and know-how to help these shop owners build a better future and serve their customers who are themselves on a path towards financial inclusion.”

Paul Polman, Chief Executive, Unilever added: “Strategic partnerships such as this are critical to helping us improve our business and positively impact the lives of 5.5 million people by 2020. By working together, we can have a much greater impact in emerging markets, empowering small scale enterprises and bringing about the transformative change necessary to meet the aims of the Sustainable Development Goals and our business.” 

During the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Her Majesty Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (center) witnessed Ajay Banga, president and CEO of Mastercard (left), and Paul Polman, Chief Executive of Unilever (right), signing a strategic partnership designed to advance financial inclusion efforts by empowering small and micro businesses in emerging markets.

First pilot project in Kenya

In Kenya, the companies are jointly designing a program to enable sustainable growth of small retail entrepreneurs. By digitizing the processes of buying supplies and selling goods small vendors will gain access to low-interest credit. This will empower them to better answer shopper demand and grow their business while upskilling themselves through basic insight tools.

Source:mastercard

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Mastercard and MultiChoice Make It Simple for DStv Customers to Pay Using Their Smartphones

At Mobile World Congress, Mastercard announced a new solution for South African MultiChoice customers to quickly and conveniently pay their digital satellite television accounts using Masterpass, the global digital payment service from Mastercard, on their smartphones.

Customers can download Masterpass from the iOS or Android app store, register, and load their credit, debit or check cards from any bank into the digital wallet. Payment card information – including card details from Mastercard and other payment networks – is only captured once eliminating the hassle of repeatedly entering these details each time they want to pay their bill.

To settle their DStv accounts, customers simply click on the link they receive from DStv via SMS, and select Masterpass as the payment option. They authorize the payment by entering their ATM PIN or One Time PIN, and their account is updated within a few minutes.

“We’re pleased to work with MultiChoice South Africa to make bill payments simpler, faster and more convenient for DStv customers,” says Mark Elliott, Division President of Mastercard, South Africa. “With Masterpass, customers can simply use the app on their smartphones to manage their payments anytime and from anywhere – be it at home, at work or on-the-go.”

Another key benefit is that DStv customers who missed payments and had their DStv service disconnected, can settle their accounts using Masterpass and get reconnected quickly.

“With the new Masterpass payment option, our customers never need to miss out on their favorite shows or big sporting events. The collaboration with Mastercard helps us to give our customers simple, secure and pain-free payment options that make life easier for them,” says Mark Rayner, CEO for MultiChoice South Africa.

Customers can rest assured that their information is secured as the Masterpass digital wallet uses multiple layers of security, ensuring the user’s personal and payments details are protected.

Source: Mastercard 

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Daily Energy Payments Powering Digital Finance in Ghana

Much has been written about the potential of pay-as-you-go solar to advance financial inclusion while expanding access to energy among the poor. One of the biggest challenges in promoting digital payments is that often there is not a strong value proposition for customers; people don’t want to switch from cash payments unless there is a good reason. The excitement around pay-as-you-go (PAYGo) solar is that by linking digital payments to useful everyday products or services, like reliable energy, customers have more attractive reasons to adopt and use digital payments. But does the data show this actually happening? New CGAP research in Ghana, carried out in partnership with PEG Africa and Tigo Cash, indicates yes.

To date, there has been isolated evidence that solar payments could drive mobile money use. Fenix International reported that at least 13 percent of their customers registered for mobile money in order to purchase a ReadyPay product, while in Rwanda, Mobisol estimated that 20 percent of their users were newly registered to mobile money services. But there has also been a long-held hypothesis in the industry that PAYGo customers are better active mobile money customers — that by making mobile bill payments on a regular basis, they become more comfortable and active users of additional mobile financial services. Increased usage means higher revenue per active user, making digital finance a more sustainable model for reaching the poor.

Testing this assumption required the right partners. Tigo Ghana is one of the leading DFS providers in Ghana. Its mobile wallet offering, Tigo Cash, has over 3.5 million registered subscribers. Converting them into active users remains an issue, as it does throughout the industry. PEG Africa is a financier of life-changing assets and a leading pay-as-you-go solar company in West Africa. PEG has installed over 20,000 solar home systems, bringing reliable lighting to over 100,000 people in a country where half the population lives off the grid and the other half suffers from unreliable electricity service. And as a business that relies on digital payments, PEG has been actively working with mobile money operators like Tigo Ghana to innovate in the mobile money arena.

CGAP worked with both organizations to compare active Tigo Cash users who are PEG customers with a sample of active Tigo Cash users who are not. The goal was to measure the average revenue per user (or ARPU) generated for Tigo within each sample, giving us a better idea of whether pay-as-you-go solar was really driving uptake of digital payments.

The difference in average revenue per customer was illuminating: PEG customers generated 122 percent more revenue per active user for Tigo Cash than did non-PEG customers in the sample. A significant piece of the added revenue comes from bill payments, which in Ghana are still relatively rare. The last Financial Inclusion Insights Survey, done in partnership with CGAP, revealed that only 5 percent of active mobile money users had made a bill payment, compared with 12 percent in Uganda and 20 percent in Kenya. But within the group of active mobile money PEG customers in Ghana, 34 percent had made a mobile bill payment: much higher than average.

In addition to bill payments, average PEG users had a more varied use history. They checked their balances more frequently, cashed in and out more frequently, and made over three times as many person-to-person transfers per user. All told, 54 percent of active PEG users had made a bill payment or P2P transfer within the study period, against only 18 percent of non-PEG customers.

There are important caveats to these statistics. Only 16 percent of PEG users in the sample were active, compared to 40 percent of Tigo Cash users. CGAP has worked with PEG to develop easier ways for customers to pay digitally, which will hopefully lead to increased active use. And it is certainly possible that outside factors, such as age and income, played a role in creating the ARPU difference, although controlling for those was not possible given the data available.

More research is needed, but it is clear that when PAYGo solar customers use mobile money, they use it a lot. According to Carl Pomeyie, the acting head of Mobile Financial Services at Tigo Cash: “The results reiterate the need to build an ecosystem that allows Tigo Cash customers to pay for services beyond just withdrawals from their wallets. As we [at Tigo Cash] look to build a digital ecosystem throughout Ghana, providers like PEG who provide essential services will be invaluable in stimulating demand and providing a value proposition to the rural customer.”

So what can other operators learn from this example? When building out mobile money infrastructure, it is essential to think about the value for the customer and to partner with someone who offers that “hook.” PEG has become one of the largest bill-pay recipients in Ghana, despite being a relatively new company. In Uganda, Fenix International and MTN are working together to distribute co-branded PAYGo solar units, offering ReadyPay as a dedicated USSD menu option for mobile payments. In Kenya, M-KOPA products are sold out of SafariCom shops, and both organizations recently signed an agreement to facilitate advanced knowledge exchange. Partnerships like these offer tangible value that can only be acquired digitally, giving customers users a reason to not only register for mobile money, but to actively use it.

On a broader level, partnerships between digital finance platforms and more traditional service providers could produce considerable synergies. In 2009, SafariCom and Kenya Power partnered to shift electricity bill payments to mobile channels. Kenya Power is now one of the largest bill-pay recipients on M-Pesa by value. In Cote d’Ivoire, shifting school registration payments to mobile channels helped to develop the digital finance infrastructure. These partnerships do not need to happen on a bilateral basis. Opening up payment and data APIs to external developers could produce a slew of new use cases, each of which may bring more active subscribers onto the payment rails. New and improved service models that leverage digital finance may not be beneficiaries of digital ecosystems, but the cornerstone on which they are built.

Source: Innovation in Africa

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MTN Uganda, CBA to provide virtual loans on mobile phones

Telecoms company MTN Uganda and the Commercial Bank of Africa have launched a virtual banking platform designed as a credit facility for the unbanked population, and those lacking collateral and credit history, who are locked out of the loans market.

The service requires MTN Mobile Money users to open a mobile bank account on MoKash, into which they can deposit as little as Ush50 ($0.015) in savings, and borrow up to Ush1,000,000 ($293) repayable at a rate of 9 per cent.

In the absence of proof of creditworthiness of the virtual customers, MTN says it will rely on other factors like the consistency of a customer’s usage of services like data and utility payment services to decide the loan amount to give.

The micro loan offer is a result of advancements in technology that have seen mobile money revolutionise the movement of money and the payment systems in the region.    

MTN hopes to replicate the success Safaricom has had in Kenya, after it partnered with CBA to launch a similar service, M-Shwari, in November 2012. A rollout to Tanzania was made the same year, where some 5 million customers are currently subscribed to the service.

By March this year, CBA had disbursed Ksh10 billion ($100 million) in loans and collected Ksh8.1 billion ($81 million) in savings from 3.9 million customers.

In Uganda, MoKash is expected to increase financial inclusion for people in rural areas.

According to Prof Augustus Nuwagaba, an economist and lecturer at Makerere University, 68 per cent of Ugandans are not monetised, that is, they do not touch money. Only 8.3 per cent of the population interacts with commercial banks.

In Rwanda, 28.2 per cent of the population interacts with banks.

Movement of money

Uganda is considered to have the highest movement of money in the region, but much of this is in the rural areas through traditional and informal methods of saving like purchase of land and livestock.

“Ugandans have a lot of money that ought to be saved. However, they do not have the incentive to save, and so domestic absorption will be slow,” said Prof Nuwagaba.

There is a need for telecoms companies to expand their networks to distant customers for the delivery of their products. Handsets also need to be made available to potential customers in rural areas, together with financial literacy training in the benefits, security, accessibility and relevance of the services.

Erick Muriuki, the general manager for new business at CBA, said that for a successful cashless economy to be realised, there is a need to digitalise the money velocity in an economy.  

This has to start with the reduction of costs incurred when making payments for utilities using digital means.

Source: theeastafrican

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Orange launches Orange Money between France and Africa

Orange Money is available in Metropolitan France. This service is offered to Orange mobile subscribers  in France and enables them to transfer money via their mobile to other Orange Money customers in Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal, and within Metropolitan France.

“We are delighted to offer the Orange Money solution to our customers living in Metropolitan France and particularly to those with a link to Africa – this is a simple, secure and instant money transfer service between family and friends via mobile,” states Patrick Roussel, Orange France Consumer Sales Director.

By launching the service in France, Orange is responding to strong demand from its customers with family or friends in Africa.
Orange Money provides a money transfer service from France to Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Senegal through a simple mobile transaction. Orange also makes it easier for recipients to withdraw money from over 30,000 Orange Money points in the three recipient countries, an unrivalled number of points of sale in these countries.
This service will develop gradually and Orange intends to number of points of sale in France. An Orange Money app will be available soon in France and Orange will look to expand the money transfer offer from France to other countries over time.
For the launch of Orange Money in France, Orange is supported by its subsidiary W-HA, which has an EMI agreement  and is authorised to issue and manage electronic money. The technical and banking expertise of W-HA allows Orange to offer international money transfer services with an excellent standard of customer experience and user security

You don’t need a bank account to use Orange Money. You just need a mobile plan and to register at a point of sale offering Orange Money with an ID card and proof of address.  It is free to open an Orange Money account.
Amongst the stores offering the secure Orange Money service in Metropolitan France, Orange already has 41 points of sale: newsagents, call shops, local grocery stores and tobacconists across the country, as well as an Orange Money store in Paris.
To carry out a money transfer, the customer credits their account with a bank card or cash at a point of sale. They then log onto their Orange Money account directly from their mobile by ringing #144#, entering the mobile number of the recipient as well as the amount to transfer and confirming the transaction with their Orange Money password. The transfer is then completed and the money is immediately available in the recipient’s  account.
#144# is a free and simple service which is compatible with all mobiles on the market.

Orange Money is a mobile account linked to an Orange telephone number, and it is designed to meet the needs of customers in Africa, where most transactions are made in cash. Orange Money service, launched in Côte d’Ivoire in 2008, has over 18 million customers already use it in 14 countries in Africa to carry out transactions such as payments and money transfers.

In 2013 Orange launched the first international money transfer service for its Orange Money customers between Senegal, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire. In March 2015, this service was expanded to transfers to and from Airtel Money customers in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal.

Source: techmoran

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Tanzania: Vodacom M-Pawa Loans Reach 4.2 Billion/ - in May

Over 4.2bn/- in loans was disbursed to Vodacom subscribers last month through M-Pawa thus becoming an important tool of boosting entrepreneurship among women and youth.

Vodacom Tanzania Chief Officer M-Commerce Mr Sitoyo Lopokoiyit said M-Pawa was increasingly being heralded as the tool for bringing financial services to the large unbanked population in Tanzania.

"In just two years since its launch, M-Pawa subscribers have skyrocketed to 4.8 million. Todate, 39bn/- have been issued to subscribers through M-Power and most of them are entrepreneurs mostly women and youth to increase income," he said.

Prior to introduction of various mobile financial solutions, the unbanked population relied on cash or informal financial services which were typically unsafe, inconvenient and denied them the opportunity to access loans.

The high penetration of mobile phones in Tanzania provided the basis for extending access to financial services such as payments, transfers, insurance, savings, and credit.

Thus Vodacom Tanzania in partnership with CBA bank introduced M-Pawa -- the first- ever mobile savings and loan service in Tanzania - a service that has proven to be a saviour to millions of its subscribers.

The introduction of Vodacom's M-Pawa was made possible in partnership with the Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA), following studies showing that there are millions of Tanzanians especially in rural areas who do not have bank accounts mostly due to the absence of banking institutions or lack of the requisite monies to open up a bank account.

Source:All africa

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Tap and Go cards both mobile and fixed at every park and major stops

As Rwanda evolves into the technology hub for the region and continent, the component of a smart city is very crucial and from it, builds other major urban development programs focused on Rwanda's growth - and its challenges and opportunities.

AC Group launched the Tap&Go project with Kigali Bus Services and Royal Express and has since made some routes totally cashless with the blessing of the Government.

The primary reason for starting with automated fare collection where clients use cards is because operations were losing a huge percentage of their bus fare revenue to fraud hence hindering their ability to provide proper service to commuters.

With their revenues being collected in a transparent and efficient way, commuters have been able to enjoy public transport with fewer delays on the bus stops, quicker boarding on the buses and proper real time monitoring of the bus by authorities and the bus operators.

 Commuters that come to Kigali for the first time do have access to a well spread network of points of sale of the Tap&Go cards both mobile and fixed at every park and major stops. These stations not only supply the clients with card but also educate them on how to use it.

The card can be topped up with what a commuter feels they want to use and can also be shared with a family member or friend.

The Tap&Go project is the first milestone towards building an intelligent transport system that is a key component of the Smart Rwanda Manifesto. Rwanda's rapid shift to virtual money will strike because of a number of coordinated programs in different sectors and transport is one of them

Source: mobilemoneyafrica

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Tigo Tanzania launches innovative nano (Tigo Nivushe) lending scheme to its customers

Tigo Nivushe poised to foster financial inclusion
Leading digital lifestyle company, Tigo (www.Tigo.co.tz), announced today that it will launch an easy to access nano lending product to its stable of mobile financial services. This new product will not require collateral and offers immediate access to small loans to Tigo Pesa users.

Tigo Head of Mobile Financial Services, Ruan Sawnepoel, said in a statement to the press today that for the first time the nano loans product, called Tigo Nivushe will allow Tigo Pesa customers to build their own credit history and being open to any Tigo Pesa customer turns the typical lending models upside down.  No security is required or taken and the loan product has been designed to be transparent and foster responsible lending.

Explaining the product’s flexibility, Swanepoel said Tigo Nivushe offers different lending periods with variable administrative costs based on the length of tenure. The loans – with an average of Tsh 10,000 (US$ 5) – are processed in real-time and funds transferred within minutes. As customers build up their credit history they are able to borrow higher amounts with lower administration fees.  Loans are delivered directly to the mobile wallet so customers can immediately use the funds to pay bills, transfer to others, or cash out at the thousands of agents across the country, he noted.

“Tigo Nivushe has been designed to encourage responsible lending. Previous mobile behaviour is used to determine suitable limits for loans and customers will only be able to have one loan at a time.  Protection against life shocks is included as everyone will be automatically insured for the loan amount against death or permanent disability. Most importantly, as the product is fee based no interest can be accumulated in the event of default and acquiring a loan will not affect mobile or Tigo Pesa accounts in any way, “ Swanepoel said.

The head of Mobile Financial Services further said: “We are thrilled today to be launching Tigo Nivushe. It is an essential product for driving financial inclusion, which is critical to Tanzania’s continued economic growth and success. These quite small loans can make all the difference and are crucial for building credit history and obtaining credit in the future.”

Disruptive E-money services, delivered through mobile phones have already changed the lives of millions of people. With this new responsible lending product, Tigo wants to change the way people think about lending, according to Ruan.

Source:Tigo

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Tanzania in mobile money ‘first’ for Africa

Vodacom joined Tigo, Airtel and Zantel in a pioneering interoperability scheme for mobile money in Tanzania.

In 2014, Tigo, Airtel and Zantel agreed to enable their customers to send and receive money across their networks. After announcing it would join last year, Vodacom has now implemented the scheme.

Tanzania becomes Africa’s first country with full interoperability for P2P money transfers, according to a statement issued by three of the operators.

Interoperability means more traffic and hence revenue, at least that’s the argument of Tigo, Airtel and Zantel, which have seen off-network transactions grow 3.5 times since 2014.

Tanzania, like neighbouring Kenya, is a case study for mobile money with high usage levels. There are more than 16 million mobile financial users in Tanzania.

Source:mobileworldlive

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Tigo Pesa, now the largest Mobile Financial Service eco-system in Tanzania

Tigo becomes the only operator in Tanzania to offer interoperability with Airtel, Vodacom and Zantel

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, February 18, 2016/ -- Tigo Tanzania (www.Tigo.co.tz) announced today that customers of its Tigo Pesa mobile money service will now be able to move funds between any of the country’s mobile money operators, as Vodacom’s M-Pesa joins an interoperable network already set up by Tigo, Zantel and Airtel. Tigo becomes the only operator in Tanzania to offer interoperability with Airtel, Vodacom and Zantel.                                                            Vodacom’s participation means that more than 16 million mobile money users in Tanzania will be able to conduct transactions with one-another regardless of which mobile operator they use. It also creates Africa’s first universal interoperable mobile money network. In June 2014, Tigo, Airtel and Zantel announced a pioneering interoperability agreement. Since then, their customers have enjoyed interoperability between their mobile money accounts which has accounted for an increase of 3.5 times the value of total offline transactions. After announcing it would join the interoperable network one year ago, Vodacom has now implemented the deal. Interoperability in Tanzania today is not exclusive to mobile operators, and also includes more than 25 banks. The country’s 16 million mobile financial users transact the equivalent of more than 50% of Tanzania’s GDP each month. Thanks to this growing network, Tanzania is now the leading place for mobile money in east Africa, overtaking Kenya. Commenting on today’s announcement, Tigo Tanzania Head of Mobile Financial Services, Ruan Swanepoel, said: “With Tigo Pesa, customers will now benefit from faster, cheaper and safer cashless transactions with anyone across the country.” Swanepoel continued, “We believe interoperability is crucial to the success of mobile money and the wider goal of increasing financial inclusion. It is also a fundamental building block towards constructing a digital economy, enabling merchants and other start-ups to participate in the financial services ecosystem. Our aim going forward is to reach similar agreements with networks in other markets.” Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Tigo. SOURCE Tigo

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Tanzania's Mobile Money Revolution-Infographic

Kenya is often lauded as a global pioneer when it comes to mobile money, but Tanzania is also making its mark. With growing competition and mobile money providers starting to make their systems interoperable, Tanzania is setting an example for others.

Source:http://www.cgap.org/

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Qatar Airways takes off with M-Pesa

Qatar Airways, the national airline of the State of Qatar, has entered into a strategic partnership with one of the world's leading mobile money service providers, Vodacom, to launch a service that enables customers to pay for airfare with the M-Pesa service.

Travellers can book flights either online or at travel agents and use M-Pesa as a payment option, according to a press release.

"We are proud to be associated with Qatar Airways, one of the world's leading airlines," Vodacom Tanzania's Acting Managing Director Nina Pendaeli Eshun said in a statement. "Our goal is to remain relevant and responsive to market needs at all times. M-Pesa is about reach, access and convenience. That is why Vodacom customers travelling on Qatar airways can now purchase their tickets anytime and anywhere at the mere click of a button."

In order to pay, customers  go to the M-Pesa pay bill option, enter Qatar Airways' business number and insert their booking reference number and the amount quoted at time of the booking. Upon receipt of payment, the customer will receive an SMS confirmation and the e-ticket via email. The ticket may also be collected at Qatar Airways reservations or their airport office, according to the announcment.

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Tigo launches online remittance service in UK, EU and Canada can send money to Tigo Pesa wallets in Tanzania

Millicom has revealed the launch of sendmoney.tigo.com. According to the company, its customers in UK, European Union and Canada can send money to Tigo Pesa wallets in Tanzania in real time using the online portal.

The company revealed in a media release that there are plans to extend the service to include Tigo Cash wallets in other African countries., however, the company did not specify which countries as of yet.

Announcing the launch in London, Greg Reeve, General Manager, Mobile Financial Services said that Tigo’s new service will make transactions convenient, fast and secure for the Tanzania diaspora living in UK, European Union and Canada.

According to the company the online portal provides the same security standards as banks, with payments being processed through Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode, and allows users to receive transfers safely and  quickly straight into their Tigo Pesa wallets. With one of the lowest transaction fees in the market, lower than any bank, sendmoney.tigo.com is one of the most safe and convenient ways to send remittances to Tanzania.

The World Bank has acknowledged Tanzania as a main recipient market for international remittances, with a total of USD64 million of transfers from Tanzanians living abroad in 2014 alone.

Greg Reeve said: “Historically customers had to travel long distances and carry large amounts of cash whenever they received money from abroad, an inconvenient and risky process. With the expansion of mobile remittances and  services like sendmoney.tigo.com, this is no longer the case. Our vision is to expand  services for our customers to fully benefit from their Tigo Pesa wallets.”

Source:itnewsafrica

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MoneyGram, Vodacom partner on mobile money service in Tanzania

MoneyGram and Vodacom have announced a partnership that enables Vodacom subscribers in Tanzania to receive fund transfers directly into their M-Pesa accounts through MoneyGram's money transfer services.

M-Pesa subscribers in Tanzania can receive funds from MoneyGram into their mobile accounts from customers in more than 120 countries at any time, subject to system availability, according to a press release.

"MoneyGram continues to grow throughout Africa as a result of forming strategic relationships with mobile network operators, banks, post offices and retailers, to bring added convenience to our customers," Jacques Voogt, chief officer of mobile commerce at Vodacom Tanzania, said in a statement. "Presently, MoneyGram operates in more than 200 countries with a network of more than 350,000 locations globally of which 25,000 are in Africa."

Source:mobilepaymentstoday

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BULK SMS and other mobile VAS service,We power your mobile messaging and payments

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Below is our pricing for the Bulk SMS packages.

• KILIMANJARO (Tshs. 30/SMS 1 - 5,000 SMS)
• NGORONGORO (Tshs. 28/SMS 5,001 - 100,000 SMS)
• SERENGETI (Tshs. 25/SMS 100,001 - 500,000+ SMS)

Coverage:

• Vodacom.
• Tigo.
• Airtel.
• Zantel.

How can you use Bulk SMS Services?

• Marketing promotions

• Payment reminder

• New product launch

• Alerts on new or changed conditions

• Statement reminders

• Policy expiry notice

• Thank you message

• Donation request

• Invitation

• Send greetings on festive seasons

• Fraud and transaction alerts

• Follow up message after exhibition

• Event update

• Announcement / news broadcasting

• Internal communication

Key benefits for bulk SMS service:

• Obtain the industry highest quality, end to end control feature.

• Reach virtually any mobile subscriber worldwide.

• Reduce your connectivity to a single point for mass delivery.

• Choose any protocols of connectivity, e.g. HTTP, HTTPS & SMPP.

• Receive high level customer support service.

Platform Features include:

• Carrier Grade reliability
•  Easy to use web based, menu-driven tools for standard  campaign creation
• Drag and drop tool for creating custom campaigns simply and easily
• Simulator tool for campaign testing
• Simple integration interfaces to external and enterprise systems Management Dashboard for easy reporting
• Detailed reports for in-depth customer behavior analytics
• Detailed transaction reports for accurate sub client invoicing
• Easy management of user data lists

FOCUS: - We power your mobile messaging and payments-

   HEALTHCARE, HOTELS, SUPERMARKETS, RESTAURANTS, PENSION FUND, SPECIAL DESIGNED SOLUTION        FOR RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS, SACCO, BANKS, etc

Other Mobile VAS service we offer:

·         Mobile Application development such as SMS, USSD, etc

·         Mobile Marketing such as BULK SMS, etc

·         Mobile Payment solution

·         Mobile Financial and commerce solution

·         Mobile Technology Consulting

·         Mobile Technology Training

Become our Reseller (BULK SMS) at you Location :( Free Setup account)

IPSBuilding,2ndfloorSamoraAvenue/AzikiweStreet:,

Phone:+255 22-2110215 

Mobile no:+255655705522 / +255767849089

P. O Box 34329,

Dar es Salaam.

Email:  info@rcg.co.tz, mobilekwetu@gmail.com

           

          

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