Windows Apps Now Available Through Safaricom Airtime

Microsoft has partnered with leading Kenyan telecom Safaricom to make it possible for customers to download apps from the Windows Phone Store and make payments using their mobile phones, opening a reliable revenue channel for the developer community. Mobile operator billing services will target the growing number of Windows-based smartphone users who previously had to

Increase in Kenya’s Diaspora Remittances for May 2014

The Central Bank of Kenya conducts a survey on remittance inflows every month through the formal channels that include commercial banks and other authorized international remittance service providers in Kenya. The results for May were as follows. Remittances to Kenya increased by 8.6 percent, to USD 119.7 million in May 2014 compared to USD 110.1

Bank of Maritius Warns of Fake Bank Cheques

The Bank of Mauritius has released a statement saying that it has come to their knowledge that fake bank cheques, purportedly emanating from banks, are currently in circulation in the country and that certain companies have been victims to such fraudulent practices. The Bank of Mauritius strongly urges members of the public to exercise extreme

Safaricom, KCB to Leverage Mobile for New SME Partnership

Leading Kenyan telecom Safaricom and Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) have formed a strategic partnership, with the first project a one-stop integrated solution that will cater to the needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Kenya. Biashara Smart is a set of communications and financing products, capacity building initiatives and reward programmes aimed at connecting,

Safaricom Opens up M-Pesa Agent Network to Rivals

Kenyan mobile operator Safaricom has opened up its M-Pesa mobile money agents network to rival operators, allowing integration between various mobile money platforms, according to a report. Business Daily reports the move now allows investors to run M-Pesa services alongside rival mobile money platforms provided by Airtel and Orange. Last month Safaricom was braced for

Telecash’s 600,000 Subscribers Means its Growing Almost as Fast as EcoCash Did

A few days ago, Telecel’s General Manager, Angeline Vere disclosed that the company’s mobile money service that was launched 5 months ago, Telecash, now has 600,000 registered subscribers. This is an impressive number in a number of ways, but mostly in comparison to Econet’s EcoCash, which has generally been regarded a success. Consider for example

Tanzanians Urged to Step up the Culture of Saving

Tanzanians have been urged to build and strengthen a culture of saving through banks and other financial institutions for their own benefits and the country’s economic development. Talking to journalists in Dar es Salaam, the Deposit Insurance Board (DIB) officials said the culture of saving through banks enables depositors access loans for their development. The

Better Credit Facility in Pipeline

Members of the public in Tanzania may soon start accessing credits on competitive terms, thanks to the Credit Reference Bureau (CRB), that commercial banks have embraced amid optimism that the data base will help to extend financial services to more people, a new study has shown. CRB is the database for consumer credit information that

UTT Imports Bangladeshi Microfinance Expertise

Local microfinance personnel affiliated to Unit Trust of Tanzania (UTT) are undergoing a week long training on how to provide services to the majority un-bankable rural folks with Bangladesh experience. Touted as a model in having microfinance institutions (MFIs) serve the majority rural farmers who have been denied banking services by commercial banks, Bangladesh has

Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda Working on Cross Border Mobile Money Platform

East Africa will soon have a common mobile money platform that will enable users to send money from one country to another without any difficulty under exchange rates approved by central banks. This is according to Godfrey Kyama, e-banking advisor to the Commonwealth, in his presentation at the ongoing Tech4Africa conference in Nairobi. Kyama said