Mobile Phone Banking Blog

Mobile Money Webinar: Coping with Dormancy

cbalingit — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:50:01 +0000

The third instalment of the Mobile Money Explained Live Webinar series is scheduled on the 17th of January at 2:30pm UK time (10:30pm MNL time).

One of the biggest issues facing mobile money providers at the moment is how to cope with dormancy. Maintaining high usage rates, especially in increasingly competitive markets, is not easy and after initial spikes in subscriptions, many service providers are faced with a vast number of dormant accounts on their hands.

This webinar defines methods for protecting your program from dormancy. It will explore the useability of the service, the breadth of the product suite on offer, competitive pricing, and effective ongoing marketing strategies that will encourage continual usage. Joining Graham Wright from MicroSave on this webinar will be Aleeda Fazal from Sicap.

To view previous webinars, simply follow the links below:

Webinar 1 – Effective pricing models and customer willingness to pay

Webinar 2 – Beyond remittances: How to expand your mobile money product suite

No Bank Nearby? No Problem. Cellphone Banking Booms in Developing World

cbalingit — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:24:46 +0000

Worldcrunch – Mexico City – In the Philippines, a trip to the bank can sometimes take two days – and might require a boat to get there. Such is life in a country that’s made up of some 7,000 islands, not all of which have their own bank branches.

Those who are not willing or able to take an overnight ferry just to pay a telephone or electricity bill can turn instead to a “collector,” someone who makes it his business to go from island to island collecting bills and the money to pay them – all for a commission, of course.

In recent years, however, a third option has emerged: mobile banking. Since 2006, the dominant mobile phone company in the country have been converting cell phones into payment platforms, for the cost of a text message and without the necessity of opening a bank account. It could mean an end to “collectors.”

“Electronic money is an opportunity to include a large percentage of the population in a cost-effective way,” says Nestor Espenilla, deputy director of the Filipino Central Bank.

Smarter than a smartphone?

cbalingit — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:28:56 +0000

FinanceAsia – Mobile telephone capabilities may have come a long way since the days of the brick-size device, but how much can they really change banking?

Communicating through radio link has come a long way since World War II. With voice calls, text messages, mobile internet access and built-in cameras, today’s smartphone is already a remarkable all-in-one handheld computer — but its potential could be even greater in the developing world.

This is particularly true in banking. Asia’s fragmented payments infrastructure and large unbanked population mean that millions lack even limited access to branch-based banking, but rising mobile penetration is creating new options for person-to-person payments.

“Mobile banking works because the individuals and small businesses in the emerging markets have access to a mobile phone,” said Richard Davies, Asia-Pacific director of Logica’s global products business. “Similarly, in the more mature markets, it would be strange to see somebody who does not own a smartphone.”

Telecommunications service providers have been quick to pick up on this trend. Mobile banking and payments solutions, such as GCash in the Philippines and MPesa in Kenya, have been very successful in the emerging markets. “Banks in Southeast Asia are interested in mobile banking to get ahead of the game and provide additional services for their customers,” said Dean Young, vice president of product management at SunGard’s ambit retail banking business arm.

Rural Banks Providing Financial Education in Branchless Banking

cbalingit — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:41:19 +0000

In Filipino grammar, adding the prefix mag is a nifty way to verbalize a noun. This extends from everyday, colloquial conversation Mag-kape tayo (Let’s have coffee) Mag-sine tayo (Let’s watch a movie) to more profound exhortations, like Mag-bago na tayo. (It’s time we make a change). The United States Agency for International Development-supported Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (RBAP-MABS) Program with assistance from Microfinance Opportunities(MFO) is now assisting rural banks to extend this further to promote mobile phone banking services with the launch of mag-CellBank! and the pilot testing of the Financial Education for Branchless Banking Project.

mag-CellBank!, the new logo for mobile phone banking services, employs the prefix mag to cell (for cellphone) and bank. Mag-CellBank! is an enthusiastic call for clients to perform banking transactions using their cellphones. The new name, along with a visual identity, is integrated into the new Financial Education for Branchless Banking toolkit that is currently being used by three pilot banks – GM Bank,Cantilan Bank, and 1st Valley Bank. mag-CellBank! services include Text-A-Payment (TAP), Text-A-Deposit (TAD), Text-A-Withdrawal (TAW), and phone-to-phone transfers and payments.

Launched in June 2010, the Financial Education for Branchless Banking Project is implemented by the RBAP-MABS Program with support from MFO, a Washington-based global nonprofit that develops consumer-focused ideas and solutions for the microfinance industry. The project, which is implemented in partnership with The MasterCard Foundation, aims to increase the uptake and use of mobile phone banking services through the use of financial education tools.

RBAP-MABS Holds Mobile Phone Banking & GCASH Accreditation Course for Northern Luzon Rural Bankers

cbalingit — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 06:48:34 +0000

The United States Agency for International Development-supported Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines–Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (RBAP-MABS) Program conducted a Regional GCASH Accreditation Training for North Luzon rural banks in Clarkfield Pampanga last October 28, 2011.

The Globe GXI team – composed of their training team, North Luzon area managers, and the account manager and coordinator for rural banks – were present to facilitate the presentation and hands-on activities. Twenty (20) participants from 11 rural banks completed the training.

Free Webinar on Sound Expansion of Mobile Financial Services: A Risk Matrix Approach for Developing Enabling Environments

cbalingit — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:49:23 +0000

The public is invited to join the free webinar on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mobile Financial Services Speaker’s Series seminar on October 21, 2011, at 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. EST (9:00 – 11:00 p.m. Manila Time).

In this webinar, Michael Ingram of Innovations for Poverty Action and Maria Stephens of USAID will present the USAID-Booz Allen Hamilton Mobile Financial Services Risk Matrix tool which was developed from the two-year project that aims to address the unique challenges for regulatory authorities tasked with overseeing the safety and soundness of both national and global payments systems and financial institution regimes. The webinar participants will be provided with an overview of the tool, discuss how the tool is currently being utilized within global regulatory contexts, and introduce some current USAID research underway that builds upon technical issues raised within the tool.

To register for the webinar, please click on the link: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/825618090

Mobile Money for the Developing World

cbalingit — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 06:14:52 +0000

The Asia Foundation – A rapidly increasing number of people across the globe are now staying connected to one another via a mobile phone device – whether it’s an iPhone, Nokia, or Samsung. In fact, the United Nations reported earlier this year that the worldwide figure for cell phone subscriptions had topped five billion at the end of 2010. According to the International Telecommunication Union, approximately 3.8 billion of these mobile subscriptions were from developing countries – with India and China fueling this upsurge.

As this trend continues, the mobile financial services market is also booming, and is increasingly dominated by Asia, driven by mobile, operator-led initiatives in these developing nations to “bank the unbanked.” Developing countries such as Pakistan are among those that have made remarkable progress in global mobile phone adoption; in 2007, while just one million Pakistanis owned bank accounts, 70 million were mobile subscribers. In April 2011, this total subscriber figure stood at 108 million. This rapid mobile subscription rise has the potential for even greater expansion among those living in the developing world with the enablement of these four mobile banking functions: government cash transfers, international remittances, bill payments, and savings.

Visayas and Mindanao Rural Banks attend Mobile Phone Banking Accreditation Training Course

cbalingit — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 08:13:09 +0000

Fourteen representatives from eight rural banks based in the Visayas and Mindanao attended the Mobile Phone Banking Accreditation training and refresher course at the Diamond Suites in Cebu City last September 9. The training was organized by the United States Agency for International Development-supported Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines-Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (RBAP-MABS) Program and co-sponsored by G-Xchange Inc. (GXI), a wholly-owned subsidiary and the mobile commerce arm of Globe Telecom.

Philippine Experiences in Mobile Phone Banking highlighted during the Asia Pacific Mobile Financial Services Summit

cbalingit — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 02:16:59 +0000

The United States Agency for International Development-supported Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines-Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (RBAP-MABS) Program joined mobile financial service stakeholders at the 5th Annual Mobile Financial Services – Asia Pacific Summit held at the Waterfront, Singapore on September 6-7, 2011. The annual conference gathers partners in mobile, banking, business and technology industries to build a robust and sustainable mobile commerce ecosystem.

Industry trends and challenges in the mobile financial services were discussed during the two-day summit. The impact of the near field communication (NFC) technology and smartphones were the highlights of the summit. Banks in countries including Singapore, Japan and Korea are now utilizing the power of smartphones in providing mobile financial services to their clients. The socio-economic impact and success of this innovation in the financial services space were recognized.

RBAP-MABS Holds Regional Mobile Phone Banking Accreditation Course for Luzon Banks

cbalingit — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 10:49:32 +0000

The Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines–Microenterprise Access to Banking Services Program (RBAP-MABS) in cooperation with Globe’s G-Xchange Inc. (GXI) conducted a regional GCASH accreditation training and refresher course on August 25, 2011 at the RBAP Conference Room in Intramuros, Manila. Thirty-three (33) participants from eighteen (18) rural banks from Luzon completed the course.

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