Western Union Expands Mobile Money Transfer Network in Nigeria in Collaboration with Paga

The Western Union Company, a leader in global payment services, has announced the launch of a new mobile money transfer service to Nigeria, which increases the reach of Western Union payout options in the country. The new service to Nigeria integrates directly with Paga, the leading mobile payment platform in Nigeria, with more than 1.2

WorldRemit Secures $40m Funding from Accel Partners

European investment company Accel Partners has invested US$40 million in WorldRemit, an online money remittance service operating in Ghana and Somalia, providing the service’s first Series A investment. Founded in 2009, WorldRemit has partnerships with Safaricom’s M-Pesa, international banks and mobile operators, providing remittance transaction services to approximately 1.3 million people every year “We expect

Insights into Payments Infrastructure in Southern Africa

Elizabeth McQuerry From Glenbrook Consulting shares her insight on the payments landscape in Southern Africa in her latest blog post. She writes, “Recently I shared my views about the developments underway in the mobile and payments space in Latin America. In that story, I address how individual countries are taking big strides toward reshaping their

KCB Set to Roll Out Islamic Banking Solutions

KCB Group has commenced the process of rolling out Islamic Banking solutions in the country as part of its financial inclusion agenda. The innovative products and services will be in consistent with the principles of Islamic Sharia Law. “The bank is in advanced stages to make this a reality and Sharia Compliant Board or Sharia

Nigerian Central Bank to Fine Banks $60k Over Unlicenced e-Payment Solutions

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced new guidelines that will subject banks using third party electronic payment solutions not been licensed by the central bank NGN10 million (US$60,000). The new guidelines on spell out the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders in the end-to-end electronic payment of salaries, pensions, suppliers and taxes. “When

EMVCo Publishes Technical Framework for its Payment Tokenisation Specification

The EMV Payment Tokenisation Specification – Technical Framework v1.0 has been published by EMVCo. The technical document – which will be of interest to all industry participants including merchants, acquirers, card issuers and new payment entrants engaged in the mobile and digital secure payment ecosystem – is designed to allow market implementers to develop interoperable

Safaricom’s M-Pesa Marks Seventh Anniversary

Kenyan leading mobile money transfer service M-Pesa has marked its seventh anniversary since its launch in March 2007, with Safaricom saying the service has touched the lives of many Kenyans. “M-Pesa has given Kenya something to be proud of, and made a difference in the lives of ordinary people,” said Safaricom chief executive officer (CEO)

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated announces new Group CEO

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated has announces the departure of Group CEO Mr Thierry Tanoh with effect from 12 March 2014. Effective the same date he will no longer be a Director of ETI. Mr Tanoh joined the Ecobank Group as CEO designate in July 2012 and commenced his executive role in October 2012 prior to being

Safety Tips for Shopping Online

Online shopping is becoming increasingly popular in South Africa as more and more people are discovering the convenience of transacting online. But while online shopping does offer convenience and great deals it is also important to be aware of the risks and protect yourself accordingly. Fraudsters are increasingly turning to the anonymity of the internet

Currencies Acceptable in All EAC States

Residents of Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania will now be able to travel with their respective national currencies in other East African Community (EAC) countries and make digital cross-border cash transactions in real time. The new development comes through the just launched East African Community project on Payment and Settlement Systems Integration Programme (PSSIP)