M-PESA TO OPEN UP MORE INT'L MONEY TRANSFER ROUTES

RNS Number : 2571P

Vodafone Group Plc

23 October 2012

 



23 October 2010

VODAFONE'S M-PESA TO OPEN UP MORE INTERNATIONAL MONEY TRANSFER ROUTES TO POOR COMMUNITIES IN DEVELOPING MARKETS

Vodafone joins 'HomeSend' International mobile money hub

Vodafone is set to help more people without access to conventional banking by broadening the reach of its secure mobile money transfer service, M-Pesa.

From next month, Vodafone will connect its M-Pesa service to a leading international remittance hub, HomeSend operated by BICS. This will allow M-Pesa customers to send and receive funds via their mobile phone accounts by connecting directly to more than 21 international money transfer businesses in 35 countries.

M-Pesa was launched by Vodafone in 2007 and is currently available in seven countries including India, Kenya and Tanzania. The service allows customers to send and receive money via their mobile phones as securely and simply as sending a text message. Prior to M-Pesa, many people in developing markets had no choice but to move cash around in person or by public transport, exposing them to corrupt middlemen and thieves.

Vodafone Director of Mobile Money Michael Joseph said: "Mobile changes lives. It also transforms societies and economies: a 10% increase in mobile penetration in a country equates to a 1.2% increase in GDP growth.

"We are now at the next stage of that growth. By breaking down national barriers to make mobile money transfer truly global and ubiquitous across all competing networks, just like text messaging today, we can further connect the world's huge unbanked population."

Vodafone has a strong track record in the provision of simple and secure mCommerce services. Last year, Kenyans used M-Pesa to send the equivalent of more than three times the World Bank's estimated value of remittances flowing into the country. The service is used regularly by more than 15 million customers, generating more than 165 million transactions per month.

The early success of Vodafone's M-Pesa service has given rise to nearly 140 similar mobile transfer systems today in 65 countries, the majority of which are in emerging markets across Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. According to the industry body, the GSMA*, a further 104 mobile money services are in development.

Michael Joseph continued: "For millions of people in emerging markets, a mobile phone is a bank account, the front door to a micro-business, a gateway to higher market prices for a farmer's crops or a lifeline for an isolated woman in a distant village. One particular highlight of this is the Vodafone-backed Moyo project in Tanzania which treats women of a debilitating postnatal condition, obstetric fistula, and helps pay for their transport to a hospital through M-Pesa."

Note to Editors

The HomeSend international remittence hub is operated by BICS, a leading global provider of wholesale carrier services and a first mover in the mobile financial services market. It will enable customers using Vodafone M-Pesa to receive money from a range of providers, and - subject to local regulatory approval - send money to customers in other countries directly from their mobile phones. For example, a Vodafone M-Pesa user in Tanzania would be able to receive money from a family member in the UK or any other country connected via HomeSend.

Aimed at money transfer providers, as well as banks and financial services organisations, the HomeSend Hub acts as an open and neutral intermediary system between participants to allow the flow of electronic mobile money beyond national boundaries, irrespective of the mobile network provider. For Vodafone and other mobile money providers, this means a single connection to the HomeSend Hub provides access through to many other businesses, saving money on integration costs and multiple legal agreements.

- ends -

For further information:

Vodafone Group

Investor Relations	Group Media
[phone]	[phone]
www.vodafone.com/investor	www.vodafone.com/media

About Vodafone

Vodafone is one of the world's largest mobile communications companies by revenue with approximately 406 million customers in its controlled and jointly controlled markets as of 30 June 2012. Vodafone currently has equity interests in over 30 countries across five continents and more than 50 partner networks worldwide. For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com.

*Source: http://www.mobilemoneylive.org/money-tracker 

 

END

 

 

NRAPGGUAUUPPGAP