Sybase 365 and MobiKash Afrika Launch Mobile Commerce Solution
Sybase 365 has partnered with MobiKash Afrika, an independent Kenyan mobile commerce (mcommerce) services provider, to deliver the first intra-region, mobile network and bank agnostic, mobile commerce solution for east and southern Africa.
The companies will deliver mcommerce solutions to increase the current level of financial inclusion of the unbanked and semi-banked, via a greatly simplified registration process for opening mobile wallets, as well as rapid bank account opening processes. An individual’s accessibility to financial institutions – whether banks, micro-finance institutions (MFIs) or savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs) – is increased, while offering tailored financial products beyond the now mainstream person-to-person mobile money transfer services found in Africa. The mcommerce services are designed for major enterprises, small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs), co-operatives, insurance, medical and pension schemes, schools, disbursement channels, government agencies and international remittance channels.
“Integrating financial institutions and other stakeholders into a single mobile commerce platform makes it a great deal easier for individuals, governments and businesses to manage finances. The ultimate goal is to also make it effortless for people to progress towards opening a fully integrated bank account,” said Duncan Otieno, chief executive officer (CEO) of MobiKash Afrika. “As the most comprehensive of its type in the world, the Sybase 365 Mobiliser platform has the track record and robust functionality required to ensure the project’s success.”
The initial deployment is being piloted this year in Kenya with a combination of banks, MFIs and bill issuers using unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) as the mcommunication channel. In parallel, the MobiKash business model is being established in various other Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) territories where several project contracts have already been signed and deployment work has commenced.