Two telecommunications giants, MTN and Airtel shared honours at the maiden edition of the Mobileworld Ghana Telecoms Awards 2011 held at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Friday evening. The two companies won three awards apiece. MTN won the Telecom Operator of the Year Award, the Best Mobile Money service company of the year,
Battle for unbanked hots up as Equity unveils agency business
JACKSON OKOTH Equity Bank has unveiled its agency banking business as the institution launches a financial literacy programme to extend its infrastructure to the unbanked. Already, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has licensed over 8,000 establishments to act as Equity agents, with 2,000 such outlets already in operation. Equity’s launch follows a similar one done by
APA Insurance Launches BimaBamba Motor Insurance Cover
APA Insurance has launched a comprehensive motor insurance cover, BimaBamba Motor Insurance, which can be paid in easy installments. Payments for the cover can be made through cash, M-PESA, Airtel Money and PesaPoint. “Motor insurance unlike other covers is not optional. Unfortunately, the recent increase in motor insurance rates has almost doubled premiums, thereby increasing the
Orange Tunisia to launch Mobile Money
France Telecom’s Tunisian branch, Orange Tunisia, will launch Mobile Money by the end of the year. It comes as banks and the government hope to implement the new mobile technology to make doing business in the country easier. The announcement came at a microfinance conference in Tunis by Orange’s Director of International Relations for Contactless
MTN launches Mobile Money in Swaziland
From next Tuesday, Swazi MTN customers will be able to send and receive money anywhere in the Kingdom using their cellphones. This service, known as MTN Mobile Money, was first announced last year and will be launched on Tuesday but was previewed to the media yesterday. Head of MTN Mobile Money Sam Shongwe described the
Nigeria Mobile money licence holders risk CBN punishment
DAYO OKETOLA Punch Newspaper A number of the operators granted provisional licences by the Central Bank of Nigeria to operate mobile money services in the country risk being punished by the apex bank. Mobile money transfer involves customers using their mobile devices to send and receive monetary value.The CBN had granted approval in principle to
Standard sees big target at the lower end
Standard Bank has become more “aggressive” in its drive to increase market share and fight off its peers in the entry-level market space. The group has formed a low-cost third-party distribution channel comprising 8000 retail agents – from spaza shops to butcheries in townships across the country. This is cheaper than setting up a branch
Safaricom, Western Union deal opens turf war with banks
David Mugwe Safaricom’s expanded partnership with Western Union has opened a new competition front for commercial banks in the multi-billion international money transfer service industry. Western Union, MoneyGram and other international money transfer firms handled 64 per cent of the Sh148 billion ($1.76 billion) remittances sent by Kenyans living abroad last year, according
Vodafone Ghana to start mobile money transfer soon
Ekow Quandzie Vodafone Ghana has hinted that it will soon introduce mobile money services in the country. The service allows subscribers to do money transfer through their mobile phones. MTN and Airtel are the only two out of the five telecoms companies operating in the country that offer the service. According to the
Former director of the World Bank launches 1st mobile e-commerce and micro-finance platform
How does an immigrant working in South Africa or the USA send $10 home to family in India without 25% of it being eaten up by bank remittance fees? Online PR News – 18-April-2011 –Chicago, IL ( onlineprnews ) April 18, 2011 – How does an immigrant working in South Africa or the USA
