NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

By Chris Donkin

Orange added Morocco and Burkina Faso to the list of mobile money destinations its customers in France can remit funds directly to, a move it stated would cut consumer costs and increase the speed of transactions between the markets.

Following the latest additions, users of its payments app in France are able to deposit money directly to Orange Money accounts held in six African countries. The other destinations with the service available are Ivory Coast, Guinea, Madagascar and Mali.

Payments using the service can also be made using cash or card at Orange agents or retailers in France.

Orange Morocco CEO Yves Gauthier said the new service would provide inward cash transfer at a lower cost than traditional remittance methods, while it would also be secure and instantaneous.

SVP products and services at Orange France Christian Bombrun added the new corridors are an important step in the company’s strategy for further development of its mobile money proposition, noting existing services had been especially beneficial during the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

The news comes as authorities and organisations across the world continue to raise concerns about delays to international remittances sent to developing markets during the ongoing pandemic, with governments encouraged to introduce measures to ease use of digital channels.

Photo courtesy of Fiona Graham.