The Paradox of Calling Mobile Money ‘Mobile’ in Asia

Comment "Very interesting article about the paradox of calling Mobile Money programs that mostly rely on over the counter (OTC) transaction. The author describe the agent network mechanism and challenges. Lots of tips given and a paradox which also exist in African Mobile Money programs"

Extract "Despite the success of these wonderful companies, there is a ‘dirty little secret’ about mobile money in Asia. Perhaps dirty little secret is a touch too controversial, but the reality is that the success of mobile money in Asia has less to do with mobile, and far more to do with agents. In fact, it would be more appropriate to call the business model ‘agent money’, as the success or failure of this part of the value chain is critical to the operation."


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PayPal questions Apple Pay security

Comments "Amazing Marketing Strategy from Paypal using Apple's recent leak of celebrity as ammunition for its new ad campaign"

Extract "Ahead of Apple's Apple Pay release, mobile and online payments stalwart PayPal on Monday took out a full-page ad in The New York Times, warning consumers of Apple's security practices by alluding to the recent leak of photos stolen from celebrity iCloud accounts."

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MOBILE PAYMENTS MARKET 'SET TO DOUBLE' BY 2019 in UK

Comments "This is good news fool all of mobile payment enthusiast as we are. Other developed markets are likely to follow the same trend. We are only at the beginning of the payment revolution !"

Extract "Consumers are increasingly shunning traditional methods of payments as part of a move towards embracing mobile and online payment methods.

By 2019, 19.6% of all transactions made in the UK will be made by methods such as mobile payments, vouchers, coupons and PayPal, as opposed to 9.3% of transactions made today.

This rise will be accelerated by an increase in those of us who are 'unbanked' - without any financial ties to typical banks, estimatedat being around 1.54m in the UK alone in 2009, when the last such survey was undertaken. Paypoint will introduce a PayByPhone mobile app, scheduled for release later this year."

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Apple to use NFC in iPhone 6 with iWallet mobile payments system to compete with Google Wallet

Comment "Will Apple save NFC ? For sure NFC was a going towards a dead end unless Apple decides one day to integrate NFC chip in its iPhone. But is it enough to ensure success of NFC ? For sure Apple is not ready to share a big piece of the payment cake with the actor of the traditional ecosystem of NFC... So wait  and see"

Extract "A new report from Morgan Stanley supports previous reports that claim Apple will add NFC to the iPhone 6 to be used with its upcoming iWallet mobile payments system.

Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone smartphones have been released with a popular hardware feature Apple has left out of its smartphones for years. The company has been rumored for years to include the feature in its latest smartphone, but those rumors remain just that. Apple is reportedly getting ready to embrace NFC for the first time and the company will use it as part of its rumored iWallet mobile payments system."

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PayPal says the time is right for wearable payments

Commentaire "Les montres peuvent elles être l'avenir du paiement mobile ? Moi qui aime les 2 domaines j'ai envie d'y croire même si la Gear est loin d'être désirable pour un collectionneur de montres... anciennes. Pour autant on imagine sans mal les bénéfices d'un dispositif au poignet pour les paiements et autres services financiers. Alertes, notifications, saisie du code pin, authentification ou déverrouillage par proximité grâce à la montre seraient des services très utiles. Grâce a n'importe quel montre et téléphone compatible NFC plutôt que dans un écosystème constructeur serait encore mieux... Espérons qu'on y viendra assez vite. Cette alliance de 2 géants dans leurs domaines respectifs  sera-t-elle suffisante pour s'imposer ?

Extrait "Paypal is to be the first payments provider for Samsung's new range of Gear 2 smartwatches. The Gear 2 is Samsung's second attempt at launching a wearable device with mass appeal for consumers. The refashioned Gear 2 and lighter companion watch Gear 2 Neo boast a heart rate sensor, a pedometer and various tools to measure exercise, sleep and stress levels. "

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UGANDA:Mobile money rates for paying utility bills increase

Commentaire "At the end, someone has to pay, even in Mobile Payments... That is a lesson learn from Uganda market. When the billers decide to stop top pay for the money collection, customers have to pay for the service. But if the service is good and affordable, it seems fair. Isn't it ? 

Extract "MTN Mobile Money has increased its transmission charges for payment of utility bills. The affected bills are those for National Water and Sewerage Corporation and Umeme electricity. "

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How Will Banks Respond if Apple Becomes Mobile Payments Player

Comments "It is not a NSA secret that Apple is looking at mobile payments. In fact there are already in with iphone/ipad & itunes. But when Apple will leverage these accounts not only for apps and media, Banks and other financial players may face another revolution"

Extract "According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Apple is gearing up to roll out a new payments system for physical goods and services beyond the walls of it's Apple stores.
If true, Apple would leverage the iTunes payments system, credit card data already on file for more than a half million consumers, and recent patents to become a big player overnight.
How will banks or credit unions respond? "

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Tim Cook says mobile payments were 'one of the thoughts behind Touch ID'

Comments "Apple and mobile payments. A long wait.... Everyone would like to know which way the giant will follow. Strategy revealed soon ?"

Extract "Cook said that Apple has seen great response from customers to buying music, movies, and books using the iPhone's Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and that "It's clear that there's a lot of opportunity there." Just last week, it was reported that Apple has begun building up a mobile payments division, though further details are slim."

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More Zimbabwe companies paying salaries using mobile money

Comments "Payroll  by mobile is rising in Zimbabwe due to a cash crunch. Payroll in one of the most promising use case in mobile payment. It avoids the cash in step and will certainly lead to merchant payments once installed"

Extract " A ‘cash crunch’ in Zimbabwe is forcing more local companies to turn to mobile money to pay workers’ salaries.

This is according to officials at Econet who say that use of their ‘EcoCash Payroll’ service has risen 82% amid “liquidity problems” facing banks in the country."

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Kenya : Safaricom signe un partenariat dans le M-paiement avec East African Breweries

Commentaire "Après avoir monopolisé le marché des transferts et des paiements au Kenya, Safaricom se lance à la conquête du marché des B2B. Nul doute que ce spécialiste du mobile money a détecté du potentiel dans ce nouveau marché. Une nouvelle voie a suivre ?"

Extrait "L’opérateur des télécommunications Safaricom a signé un contrat de partenariat avec East African Breweries EABL afin que les distributeurs des fabricants de bière puissent utiliser le Mobile money pour recevoir ou effectuer des paiements. C’est le service Lipa na M-Pesa qui est mis à contribution. L’opération coûtera aux utilisateurs 1% de la valeur de la transaction financière. Le partenariat de Safaricom avec EABL fait partie des contrats du même genre signé par l’opérateur de téléphonie mobile avec d’autres sociétés telles qu’Unilever, Coca-Cola, BAT et Nestlé, doté de grands distributeurs."

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Ogone launches chip and PIN mPOS payment solution

Comments "A new player on mPos market: Ogone, but more as a distributor of Ingenico's technology. So nothing new compares to what Ingenico already communicated on its Mpos Suite. But it is interesting to see all the actors of the card business going towards Mpos offer. Certainly a key feature to follow in 2014"

Extract "Ogone, an Ingenico company and a global online payment processing services provider, has launched a chip and PIN mobile payment solution dubbed ‘Ogone mPOS’ in the Netherlands. Designed for businesses ‘on the move’ such as tradespeople, delivery services, market traders and transport operators, this payment solution is set to enable businesses to take payments on the spot. This solution is based on Ingenico’s mPOS technology (iCMP) combined with easycash’s processing solution. The solution comprises of a chip and PIN debit and credit card reader that connects with iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. Merchants download the Ogone mPOS app on their smartphone and use Bluetooth to pair it with their Ogone mPOS device."

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PayPal Debuts A Simpler, Native Checkout Experience For Merchants And Expands Beacon Internationally

Comments "Discover how Paypal plans to improve the checkout experience with e-merchant. And also in which countries beacon will be rolled out. 2 parallel initiatives but with the same goal: efficiency of the checkout, whether on line or in store"

Extract "We’ve been hearing a lot about PayPal’s ambitions to integrate technology into the offline and mobile experience, with the recent launch of Beacon, a device that enables hands free checkins in stores and payments. But much of the core of PayPal’s business is its online payments and checkout technology which is used by many online merchants to enable payments. Today, the payments giant is debuting a simpler checkout experience online for merchants to embed in their e-commerce sites."

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HOW M-PESA INNOVATES NEW BUSINESS MODELS FOR ITS BASE OF THE PYRAMID CUSTOMERS

Comments "Discover how M-Pesa is using the feedback of its user to create new product and bring again innovation in our mobile money world"

Extract "M-Pesa is one of the biggest success stories in the history of serving customers at the economic bottom of the pyramid--the world's poorest. Launched in 2007 by Safaricom, it quickly dominated the cash transfer market, and grew at an astounding rate, capturing more than two-thirds of Kenya's adult population as customers."

Amazon met une pièce sur le paiement mobile avec GoPago

Commentaires "Tous les géants de l'internet et des paiements affinent leurs outils et leurs stratégies dans le paiement mobile. Amazon ne pouvait pas rester lontemps en dehors de cette course. Voila qui est fait avec l'acquisition de GoPago qui devrait le renforcer sur le m-commerce/m-paiement."

Extrait " Amazon appuie sa stratégie d’incursion dans l’univers du paiement mobile avec l’acquisition de GoPago.
Née à l’initiative de deux Italiens (Vincenzo di Nicola et Leo Rocco), cette start-up basée dans la Silicon Valley s’est fait connaître pour son offre « de bout en bout » qui intègre, du vendeur au consommateur, la dimension du mobile pour faciliter l’expérience d’achat. Cette approche transversale s’est traduite par la mise à disposition d’une application gratuite dédiée aux smartphones (iOS, Android) et permettant de régler des commandes en ligne avant de les retirer en magasin."

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Poste Italiane signs agreement with payleven for Chip and PIN distribution in Italy

Comments "Payleven Mpos solution is really a smart way to accept card on the go. I've personally tried it for dozens of transactions and the process is really smooth, convenient, and easy to use. What else ? It is more surprising that BancoPosta has signed a agreement with such a young player. But is it a a good sign of their capacity to move quicky"

Extract "Poste Italiane has signed an agreement with payleven, a European provider of mobile card payments, to make its Chip and PIN card reader available for all clients of Banco Posta in Italy.
As of October, small and medium sized businesses including tradesmen, taxi drivers, and retailers, can sign up with payleven at their nearest post office or Banco Posta in Italy. They will then receive a Chip and PIN device that can accept debit and credit cards. Users are required to have an existing BancoPosta account or will need to open a new account to benefit from the offer."

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Apple Turns On iBeacons In All Its 254 U.S. Stores For In-Store Notifications And More

Comments "First large deployment of iBeacons by... Apple. A nice showroom for this technology and to start gathering feedback in a know environment. Who else will follow and be the first with payments ?"

Extract "Apple will kick off this weekend by launching iBeacons functionality in all of its 254 domestic U.S. stores, according to a new report by the AP. The location-based tech will work with the official iOS Apple Store app, and will allow Apple to do things like provide you with notifications of when your order has been assembled in the in-store stock room, to noticing that you’re in the iPhone section and offering you a notice about upgrading from your current device."

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Reading the M-PESA half-year results for 2013-2014

Comments "Mpesa keeps on growing and to show unbelievable figures. This GSMA study outlines the new trends of the mobile money market in Kenya. P2B (person to business) is growing very fast and this could show the way for all other struggling mobile payment programs in Africa."

Extract "Last week, Safaricom released their half year results for 2013-2014, and once again Safaricom continues to impress the industry with their achievements. Monthly active M-PESA customers now stand at an impressive 11.6 million and revenues from M-PESA constitutes 18% of total company revenues, 12.5 out of 69.2 billion KSh."

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AIRTAG and KFC bring PayPal to the Fast Track mobile wallet

Comments "It seems that Paypal is more and more the wallet of the wallets. A quick and convenient way to add payments functionality in smart use case. and very difficult to follow for its competitors...."

Extract "KFC customers can now create a Fast Track account by using their existing PayPal account details; all they have to do is enter their username and password. Users bypass having to enter personal and bank or card details because, this information is already stored securely within their PayPal account."

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MasterCard brings MasterPass digital service to Brazil

Comments "Mastercard and Visa have a global strategy for their wallets. It is again a race to develop a new scheme and be ready in time. Brasil is a good choice for Mastercard thanks to the card market an a young population. let see !"

Extract "MasterCard is introducing MasterPass  to the Brazilian market. Consumers can securely store MasterCard and other branded credit, debit and prepaid card information, address books and more. This simplifies the process of completing a transaction from any connected device, particularly those with smaller screens."

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Vodafone NFC mobile wallet launches in Spain; Germany, UK, Italy to follow

Comment "Not yet in France, may be a bit late but it is interesting to see there is a backup solution for non NFC phones (the majority...) with an additional NFC tag. Will this be enough to succeed ?

Extract "The Vodafone Wallet allows customers to leave their cards and coins at home and manage their daily transactions efficiently and securely using their smartphone. In addition to enabling customers to pay for everyday goods, the Vodafone Wallet will also be able to hold travel cards, loyalty cards, gift cards and vouchers, complementing and over time replacing the plastic cards in a customer's wallet or purse."

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