The Bank of Tanzania (BoT) announced that the East African Payment System (EAPS) has started operating and will enhance cross border payments and boost trade within the region. The BoT governor, Prof Benno Ndulu, said in a statement issued by the Bank in Dar es Salaam that the EAPS was part of modernisation efforts of
Kenya’s NIC Bank has announced the launch of NOW mobile banking, a platform that facilitates efficient, on-the-go financial services including online cheque deposits. The company has developed a mobile application and online banking service. “This strategic shift is an answer to the emerging “NOW” generation that demands everything on their fingertips. Through this strategy, we
ElectraCard Services (ECS), a leading provider of software and processing solutions for electronic payment systems, announced that the student prepaid cards program at Chase Bank, Kenya has been launched on the electra platform. ECS is the technology and processing partner for the program and leverages its PA-DSS certified electraPREPAID platform to provide a seamless, safe
Airtel Kenya is set to launch a mobile loans service to challenge Safaricom’s M-Shwari, more than a year after a partner sued Safaricom for allegedly stealing the idea. Airtel originally partnered with microfinance firm Faulu Kenya in May 2012 to launch Kopa Chapaa, aimed at advancing loans facilities via mobile phones, with Safaricom launching M-Shwari
Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria, and the African continent as a whole, lead the world in the uptake of mobile banking, according to a new report by mobile trade association MEF. The first report in MEF’s Global Consumer Insights Series on Mobile Money said 82 per cent of consumers in Africa engaged in mobile banking,
Shoppers in Tanzania’s Uchumi supermarkets can now pay for their goods using cash or mobile money transfer platform M-Pesa after the retail chain entered into partnership with Vodacom Tanzania. Commenting on the partnership with Uchumi, Vodacom Tanzania chief officer of sales Hasan Saleh said the partnership will improve convenience for shoppers while the use of
As global smartphone penetration increases, so does Kenya’s mobile content and commerce activity. The infographic below comes from txtNation, who recently launched their Kenyan mobile billing solution, using Premium SMS. Kenya has seen some of the fastest growth in mobile commerce, with a 97% increase in 2013 and an impressive 77% of internet-enabled mobile phone
The Kenya Bankers Association have released the findings of their latest survey which looks at the interplay between banks, mobile network operators and agency banking. The survey shows that a majority (60%) of Kenyans are utilising mobile phones to perform financial transactions, which has been helped by increased commitment by banks to offer mobile banking
Rwandan startup MERGIMS is aiming to provide a method for African diaspora to pay for products and services for their families in their home countries, minimising the need for expensive person-to-person money transfers. Co-founders Muhire Louis-Antoine and Niyo-Mugabo Gilbert pride themselves on their low customer levies, claiming to charge less than half of what international
The state of Akwa Ibom in southern Nigeria has introduced online payment for all legal fees, becoming the first Nigerian state to introduce e-payments in its judiciary arm. The state has also acquired an e-Judiciary enterprise resources planner (ERP), an electronic application that handles court processes. According to the chief judge of the state Justice
