MTN snubs Nigeria, launches first mobile money in Ghana

BAYO AKOMOLAFE
www.mydailynewswatchng.com


MTN Group yesterday ignored Nigeria, picking Ghana as the first country to experience its new payment solution called MTN Mobile Money. The group chose Ghana ahead of Nigeria despite that it has the largest subscriber base in Nigeria. It has 55.23million active subscribers in Nigeria as at the second quarter of 2013, while the figure in Ghana was 11.735 million by the close of the 2012 fiscal year. As of 2012, Nigeria’s population was 168.8 million, while Ghana was 25.37 million.

It was learnt that the total population of South Africa of 51.19 million is lower than the company’s entire subscribers in Nigeria.

But despite these, the company and Visa decided to partner and offer its customers a groundbreaking mobile payment solution to Ghana. It is expected to kick off before the end of the year.

Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments.

In a statement yesterday, MTN Corporate Communications said customers would be able to make online payments at all Visa merchants and withdraw money from their MTN Mobile Money account at any Visa ATM.

The announcement was made at the AfricaCom Conference, in Cape Town.

According to MTN Group Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Pieter Verkade: “MTN Mobile Money customers in Ghana will be first to experience the innovative mobile payment solution when it’s launched in that country before the end of the year. The service will then progressively be rolled out across the MTN footprint.

“The partnership between MTN and Visa will provide MTN Mobile Money customers with access to the entire Visa network, which includes merchants, online vendors and ATMs, to enable a ‘mobile’ payment experience.”

The partnership allows MTN Mobile Money users to make face-to-face and online transactions wherever visa is accepted.

In the agreement, MTN customers’ devices will be able to pay, using their MTN Mobile Money account in stores with Visa points of sale.

Visa’s Head of Global Mobile Network Operator Partnerships, Innovation & Strategic Partnerships Group, Mr. Vish Sowani, added: “We are delighted to launch this exciting new service with MTN. This is significant as we look to extend the benefits of electronic payments to mobile money services in Africa.

“Visa recognizes that mobile technology is the single most significant driver of financial institutions, and improving access to financial services; it is a critical building block to help more people improve their lives,” he said.

Sowani stressed: “We look forward to building on this broad-based partnership with MTN to bring further innovative payment-related products to their customers in the future.”

MTN mobile money enables users to do national and international money transfers, make utility and other service payments, purchase airtime, access insurance and financial products and make retail payments.

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 22 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. At 30 September 2013, MTN Mobile Money had 13.4 million registered users, and was available in 13 countries.

The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN.” As of 30 September 2013, MTN recorded 203.8 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia.

Visa operates one of the world’s most advanced processing networks – VisaNet –which is capable of handling more than 30 000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers.

Visa’s innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid, or later with credit products.


http://www.mydailynewswatchng.com/2013/11/14/mtn-snubs-nigeria-launches-first-mobile-money-ghana/



MTN Did Not Snub Nigeria on Mobile Money

ARIYO AKINSOLA
http://nairami.com

MTN is the Biggest Telecom Company in Nigeria in term of Subscriber base and coverage, with other unique prepositions MTN Nigeria is qualified to roll out Mobile Money Service in Nigeria but The Central Bank of Nigeria fell quite Indifferent by not Allowing an Telecom Company to participate in the Strict Financial Aspect of this Emerging Industry. The Argument was that if MTN Nigeria is dominating the Telecom Space, in the same way it wont be Wise again to Allow the same Company to Dominate the Financial Space given that with Smart Strategies which MTN Nigeria had tried before the company can lure and engage about 50% of their over 60Million Subscribers to Join Mobile Money and thereby becoming the only Financial Service Company in Nigeria with about 30 Million Customers within just 1 year of implementation.

My Take on this is for MTN Nigeria to power and enable the Mobile Money Industry in Nigeria. work within the Rules and create a strategic means of Business sustenance within the Industry instead of Working on becoming a Financial Service Company Through Mobile Money in Nigeria


ARIYO AKINSOLA is a Mobile Payment Strategist, Founder and operator of Nairami Nigeria, a Mobile Payment Support Service Company in Nigeria

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