M-Pesa Partners with TRA in Road License Payment Deal

Vehicle owners in Tanzania are now set to pay for their car’s road licenses through M-Pesa following a partnership between Vodacom Tanzania and Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) to make use of the service. Speaking while launching the partnership in Dar es Salaam today, Vodacom Tanzania Head of Communication and Marketing, Kelvin Twissa, said that this

MasterCard and Blue Label Telecoms to Equip 22,000 Traders in SA

MasterCard and Blue Label Telecoms Limited (Blue Label) today announced a partnership that will see 22,000 small traders and rural shops in South Africa equipped with Point of Sale (POS) devices, enabling them to accept card payments for the first time. Blue Label currently provides thousands of POS terminals in South Africa, which are used

Imperial Bank and Arsenal Launch Debit Cards in Kenya and Uganda

Arsenal Football Club has announced a partnership with Imperial Bank to issue co-branded debit cards throughout Kenya and Uganda. The three year partnership is the first major international financial agreement of its kind for Arsenal, and continues to build on the strong support for the Club in Africa. The card will offer a range of Club-related

eCommerce Merchants Affected by 3D Secure Cut-over

There has been some talk in the merchant community around the Payment Association of South Africa (PASA) mandating 3D Secure for all ecommerce merchants.  PASA had sent a letter to acquirers on the 26th March 2013 requesting an implementation date of 02 April 2013 for acquirers to ensure all merchants are aware of this mandate

KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Treasury: Interruption of the Electronic Payment of Suppliers

The electronic payment system of the state (BAS) has been down since Sunday, 25 August 2013. This meant that departments could not capture and approve payments and the Provincial Treasury could not release the payment run to the Bank for the electronic fund transfer to suppliers. The MEC for Finance in KwaZulu-Natal, Ina Cronjé acknowledges

Is Your eCommerce Vocab Up To Speed?

Ecommerce merchants may need to get in tune with the latest vocabulary updates from Oxford Dictionaries if they want to speak the lingo with their customers.  In August 2013, Oxford Dictionaries Online added a wide range of new words and senses including phablet, selfie, twerking and digital detox.  With the internet evolving at a fast

Sony Entertainment Network Launches Mobile Operator Billing in the UK

Sony Network Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment unveiled a new feature that enables users in the United Kingdom to top up their account wallet to obtain content from PlayStation®Store and across the Sony Entertainment Network using their mobile phone account. Working with mobile payments company, Boku, the process makes it easier for users to obtain

SnapScan Wins Top prize at MTN Business App of the Year Awards 2013

Mobile payments app SnapScan was voted ‘App of the Year’ at the annual MTN Business App of the Year Awards in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg. The 8-month old start-up from Stellenbosch managed to beat 253 other entrants, including apps from FNB, DStv, and Discovery, to take the top prize. In addition to being named app of the year,

EcoCash to Treble Remittances to Zimbabwe

The volume of remittances coming into Zimbabwe could easily be trebled if the process of sending money is put on Econet Wireless’ EcoCash platform. After nearly nine months of development, Econet says it is now putting the final touches to a platform that will allow remittances to be made between South Africa and Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans

Kenya Airways launches MTN Mobile Money for Air Tickets

Kenya Airways, the pride of Africa,  and Uganda’s  leading Mobile Money  service provider, MTN Uganda have partnered to launch  a service that allows customers to pay for Kenya Airways tickets using MTN Mobile Money. This additional payment option is part of the airline’s efforts to embrace technology and the convenience and improved customer experiences that