Infographic: Mobile Commerce in Kenya

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

Kenya Bankers Association Releases Mobile Money Survey

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 Provides Electronic Remittances at Lower Prices

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

Nigerian State Pioneers e-Payment in Judiciary

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

Slight Increase in Kenya’s Diaspora Remittances

The Central Bank of Kenya conducts a survey on remittance inflows every month through the formal channels that include commercial banks and other authorised international remittances service providers in Kenya. A remittance is money sent by a person in a foreign land to his or her home country. Due to the huge sums involved, remittances

Absa Signs Mozambique Cooperation Agreement with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation

Absa Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JSE-listed Barclays Africa Group, welcomes the announcement by the president of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), Mr.Takeshi Kunibe, that will result in further business cooperation between the two banks. The latest cooperation agreement signed on 12 January 2014 in Maputo, Mozambique, focuses on the development of Mozambique’s natural resources,

txtNation Launches Mobile Operator Billing Using Premium SMS in Kenya

The provider of mobile billing and messaging solutions, txtNation, has now launched its mobile billing solution using Premium SMS in Kenya, allowing businesses to accept mobile payments in the African country. Kenya is one of the fastest growing markets in mobile content and mobile commerce activity, with a 97% growth in 2013. With a population

The Helix Institute of Digital Finance to Present Cutting-Edge Data on Mobile Money Agents in Uganda

The Helix Institute of Digital Finance has launched its first country assessment report in Uganda, based on over 2,000 mobile money agent surveys carried out in 2013 all over the country.  Uganda is among four African countries participating in the world-class research project, selected for its contribution to the development of digital financial services globally.

Video Interview with Kenya-based Rupu Deals

Rupu is a daily deals and discounts website based in Nairobi, Kenya. Working on a similar model to deal sites like groupon they are introducing Kenyans to the possibilities of online shopping. Offering a wide variety of consumer goods and experience deals the daily deals site has gained a lot of popularity in Nairobi since

Mobile Banking Offers Access to Informal Sector in Tanzania

Over 8 million people in Tanzania who fall in the informal sector now have the opportunity to access banking services, thanks to the launching of a new banking service which utilises mobile phones. Speaking at a brief ceremony, Covenant Bank Executive Director, Ms Sabetha Mwambenja said that the launching comes at a time the government