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Viewpoint: Why M-Pesa ‘will never work in South Africa’
In the wake of Vodacom's decision to close down its M-Pesa mobile money service in South Africa at the end of this month, a pioneer of mobile financial services for the mass market has said mobile operators will never be successful in the financial services industry.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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African Data Prices Falling, Income Rising
Africa’s mobile Internet market has grown steadily over the last decade and new forecasts show mobile data revenue will double over the five years to 2019—topping $22 billion, according to Quartz. Mobile voice revenue, by comparison, is expected to grow by 10 percent in the same period.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- mobile finance
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Three Ways to Optimize the Smartphone Experience for the Next Billion Users
Across emerging markets, smartphone adoption is predicted to outpace bank accounts by the end of the year, opening up an increasingly clear opportunity for more multifaceted financial services. However, a range of technical constraints still hold some users back. Here are three ways to optimize for a more inclusive future.
- Categories
- Technology
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Ericsson to develop ‘Emergency Wallet’ for humanitarian aid
Ericsson has committed to developing Ericsson Emergency Wallet, a mobile financial services solution, for deployment in the immediate aftermath of disaster or crises to support humanitarian organizations and affected populations.
- Categories
- Technology
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MTN & EcoCash launch sub-Saharan Africa’s first operator-to-operator cross-border remittance channel
EcoCash and MTN Zambia officially unveiled a remittance partnership that will enable MTN customers in Zimbabwe’s northern neighbor to send money into the country via the mobile platform MTN Money Wallet.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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United Nations study finds digital payments to Ebola response workers saved lives and $10 million
By using digital payments to pay Ebola response workers, Sierra Leone massively cut payment times, avoiding large-scale strikes and ensuring a stable workforce to defeat Ebola.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Vodacom pulls plug on mobile money service M-Pesa in South Africa
May 9 Vodacom will discontinue its mobile money service M-Pesa in South Africa after it failed to attract enough support in its slow-growing home market, the telecommunications firm said on Monday.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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NexThought Monday: Our inaugural podcast – a conversation with the MasterCard Foundation’s Ann Miles
In April, the MasterCard Foundation Fund for Rural Prosperity awarded over $10 million to five innovative companies working to increase financial access in rural Africa. In NextBillion's inaugural podcast, we spoke to Ann Miles, Director of Financial Inclusion & Youth Livelihoods at the MasterCard Foundation, about the competition's winners and the broader digital financial inclusion space in Africa.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
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