Browsing: M-pesa

• Safaricom has requested telco industry watchdog, the Communications Authority (CA) to block satellite internet providers, such as Elon Musk’s Starlink, from operating independently within Kenya.
• Kenya’s largest telco argues that allowing satellite providers to operate independently could lead to challenges in enforcing compliance with local laws.
• Safaricom insists satellite ISPs should only be allowed to operate under the license rights of a local company.

A fierce battle is looming in Kenya’s internet service provider (ISP) industry, with Safaricom PLC, the region’s largest telecommunications operator, requesting the Communications Authority (CA) to block satellite internet providers, such as Elon Musk’s Starlink, from operating independently within the country.

This development sets the stage for what could turn out to be a fierce contest over the control of Kenya’s lucrative internet market, as telco heavyweights Safaricom and Starlink vie for dominance in a rapidly digitizing economy.

Listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and …

• With operations in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Mauritius, I&M Bank has attributed 15 per cent profit growth to an increase in its operating income.

• Its loan portfolio grew by 30 per cent to $2.4 billion, partly attributed to the extension of retail lending through digital platforms.

• Customer deposits closed at $3.2 billion, a 33% increase year-on-year, attributed mainly to growth in current and savings accounts.

Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed lender I&M Group PLC has recorded a profit after tax of $101.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, up from $88.5 million, as it continued with its regional expansion.

The financial services provider, which operates in …

• Nala Money has Payment Service Provider licenses in several countries, including its founder’s home, Tanzania.
• In 2020, Africa’s e-payments industry, across domestic and cross-border payments, generated approximately $24 billion in revenues, of which about $15 billion was domestic electronic payments.
• Africa’s domestic e-payments market is expected to see revenues grow by approximately 20 per cent per year, reaching around $40 billion by 2025

“Little did I know that if a European-based client of mine could have subscribed to Nala Money, I would have received $100 more to my fee.  Unlike Nala, the money order service I use has a low exchange rate and is somehow unconventional.”

This testament is not a promotion or a boost for the latter but an admission of facts and experiences Tanzanians who might receive remittance often or once could face.

Nala, started by Tanzanian youth Benjamin Fernandes in 2017, aimed to increase economic opportunities for …

• Africa is experiencing a transformative era characterized by robust economic development, technological advancement, and a burgeoning creative industry.
• Many African countries are now experiencing rapid economic expansion, driven by a combination of factors including improved governance, increased foreign direct investment, and a growing middle class.
• Rapid adoption of mobile technology has transformed the continent, providing unprecedented access to financial services through mobile money platforms like M-Pesa, improving healthcare delivery, and enhancing agricultural productivity.

Africa is increasingly becoming a beacon of growth and potential in the global landscape. Amidst its rich cultural heritage and natural resources, the continent is experiencing a transformative era characterized by robust economic development, technological advancement, and a burgeoning creative industry.

This blog post delves into the multifaceted aspects of Africa’s growth trajectory, highlighting the significant progress and potential within its economies, technological innovation, and notably, the sports and entertainment sectors.

Economic Resilience and Development

Africa’s economic …

• Registered customers for M-Pesa Ethiopia rose to 3.1 million from 1.2 million as of half the Financial Year 2023/2024, transacting worth $115.63 million.
• Ethiopia’s National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2021–2025 aims to increase financial inclusion from 45 to 70 per cent of all adults by 2025, partly by scaling digital payments through mobile money services.
• The country also aims to increase the use of digital payments from 20 per cent of all adults in 2020 to 49 per cent by 2025.

Revenue growth for M-Pesa Ethiopia

Safaricom’s M-Pesa in Ethiopia reported revenue returns of $277,139.43 over the nine months ending in December 2023.

Following its August 2023 launch, the operations generated $45,000 over the first four months, with further commitment to grow the numbers.

Registered customers for M-Pesa Ethiopia rose to 3.1 million from 1.2 million as of half the Financial Year 2023/2024, transacting worth $115.63 million.

However, the opportunity for …

• Safaricom recognized for its outstanding people strategy, work environment, talent acquisition, learning, diversity and inclusion, and employee well-being.
• The telco first received the Top Employer certification in 2022 and has retained it for three consecutive years.
• The certification comes just a few months after the company was ranked the third-best employer in Africa by an American business magazine, Forbes.

Kenya’s leading telecommunications company, Safaricom PLC, has, for the third consecutive year, received recognition as a top employer in both the country and across Africa.

The most recent certification for the year 2024, awarded by the Top Employers Institute (TEI), underscores the Nairobi Securities Exchange listed company’s HR policies and people practices.

The TEI program certifies organizations based on their participation and results in a comprehensive HR best practices survey covering 20 topics across six HR domains. These domains include people strategy, work environment, talent acquisition, learning, diversity and inclusion, and …

• Egypt’s entry is a huge step forward for Cellulant, which now offers a full suite of payment services throughout 35 African regions and integrates over 370 different payment methods.
• Cellulant has raised a total of US$55 million to date, making it one of the most heavily backed fintech startups in Africa and allowing it to support its ambitious expansion plans.
• CEO Ahmed Marwan says with over 40% the adult population in Egypt using prepaid cards and mobile wallets, the acquisition of these licences positions Cellulant to further streamline payment options for businesses.

Kenyan Fintech giant Cellulant, has announced its initial registration as a Payment Service Provider and Payment Facilitator in Egypt, a major development for digital payments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This is a huge step forward for Cellulant, which now offers a full suite of payment services throughout 35 African regions and integrates more than …

In a recent announcement during the US-Africa Business Roundtable in the United States, Kenya’s President William Ruto revealed that Safaricom, a leading telecommunications company, is establishing a strategic partnership with Apple Inc. The Safaricom-Apple partnership will integrate the widely-used mobile money platform, M-Pesa, with Apple’s ecosystem. This integration will expand M-Pesa’s mobile financial services globally.
President William Ruto announced the deal after he toured Silicon Valley in San Francisco Bay, United States, on 16 September. The Kenyan leader is fast gaining popularity across Africa and globally. He has led from the front in marketing Kenya as a conducive ground for foreign business to thrive.…

• Safaricom targets a customer base of at least 10 million across 25 cities in the next year.
• Since Safaricom Ethiopia switched on its mobile telecommunications network, it has grown coverage from an initial 11 to 22 cities.
• Safaricom Ethiopia is building a wholly-owned mobile network and also has infrastructure sharing deal with state-owned Ethio Telecom.

Safaricom is now targeting a customer base of at least 10 million in Ethiopia in the next one year. The move is tailored to shake up the country’s telecommunication industry. (nelsongreerpainting) Latest developments follows huge investments in the country, with cash transfer service M-PESA now on the table.

Since Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia switched on its mobile telecommunications network and services in Addis Ababa in October last year, major inroads have been made in the second-most populous country in Africa.

It has grown coverage from an initial 11 cities when it launched to 22. …

The question is, what if one day you went to pay for expenses with your card or mobile app and it returned an error message? Or was your service provider that issues your money declared bankrupt? Scary, right?
Recently, customers have been converting their regular traditional money into e-money. Service providers have enabled the transfer of electronic money to banks, from person to person, and for making payments.
For regulators and supervisors that control the protection of consumers’ e-money and digital currencies, coming up with legal bindings and restrictions in the fast-changing sector has become very challenging. These regulators and supervisors must devise ways to protect customers from a possible system failure and ultimately prevent them from losing their funds.…