New MMU Grantees

New MMU Grantees

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  New Operators inthe Mobile Money for the Unbanked Fund PortfolioMobile Money Summit 2010, Rio de Janeiro
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  The GSMA haspreviously announced that ten operators have received awards from the MMU FundAfghanistanBangladeshPhilippines UgandaSri LankaCameroonTanzaniaIndonesiaBrazil
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  SOPHISTICATION
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  A health microinsurance/savingsscheme in PakistanProject summary: Develop and launch commercially a microinsurance/savings scheme targeted to low-income users on top of Telenor Pakistan’s easypaisa platformLearnings soughtIs there demand for health insurance among poor consumers? To what extent can/should health insurance and savings be combined? Will customers be able to grasp the value proposition of an instrument that fuses these services?StatusMore than 1 million bill payments and P2P transfers have been processed since easypaisa’s launch in February
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  Telenor Pakistan isundertaking consumer research to understand demand for insurance and savings productsG2P payments in KenyaProject summary: Use the M-PESA platform to make social transfer payments to low-income households in Nairobi slumsLearnings soughtAs a way of making social (G2P) payments, is the mobile channel cheaper for governments, and more secure and more convenient for recipients, than existing mechanisms?Can operators enable these transactions profitably?StatusSafaricom have facilitated disbursements to 5,000 households to date (against a total of 15,000)
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  Safaricom are biddingfor a tender to scale the program to reach 100,000+ householdsAdvanced mobile financial services in West AfricaProject summary: Undertake market research to assess the demand for advanced financial services management on mobile phone, and pilot test such a product on the Orange Money platformLearnings soughtWhat financial services (formal or informal) do people use today?
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  How widely availableis traditional microfinance?
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  What is thedemand for advanced financial services management on mobile phone?StatusOrange has completed qualitative and quantitative research studies in Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, and Senegal and is in the process of analysing them SCALE
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  Creating a cashless ecosystemat the base of the pyramid in IndiaProject summary: In collaboration with mChek (a technology vendor), a bank, and an MFI, Tata is pilot testing a BoP-focused mobile money platform in ten villages outside BangaloreLearnings soughtIs targeting the sources of funds (employers, etc.) an effective way to drive adoption of mobile money?Will customers embrace a flat-fee pricing model? RBI mandates the participation of numerous entities in the mobile money value chain; is it possible to meet the breakeven requirements of all of them?StatusContracts among the various parties have been signed and an on-the-ground implementation team is being assembledExtending a successful bill-payments platform to low-income usersProject summary: True currently offers a successful (6 million customers) mobile money service primarily for bill payment by middle- and upper-income segments; now, True is targeting lower-income users in rural areasLearnings soughtGiven the higher cost of customer and agent acquisition, how can operators serve customers in rural areas profitably? Can regional administrators be helpful partners in mobile money distribution?In markets where mobile interfaces cannot be presented in a local language, are specialized POS devises (with SIM cards embedded) a solution?StatusTrue are working with regional administrative units to begin establishing agents in rural areasExperimenting with innovative distribution channels in AfricaProject summary: Experiment with a new distribution channel for a new mobile money platform in AfricaLearnings soughtWhat are the alternatives to the typical retail agent distribution strategy for mobile money?StatusTigo is in the process of securing regulatory approval in market
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  Tigo is makingpreparations for pilot testing the serviceThe first operator-branded and distributed mobile money platform in CambodiaProject summary: CamGSM, which operates the Cellcard network, is launching a new mobile money platform in CambodiaLearnings soughtStructurally, which position is stronger: an operator with a dominant position in the mobile market offering mobile money, or an independent (or bank-owned) platform that allows for cross-network transactions among customers of other operators?StatusCamGSM is planning a pilot test of the service in early July Rolling out mobilemoney in the PacificProject summary: Digicel is pilot testing a new mobile money platform in Fiji, with plans to roll it out across the Digicel group if successfulLearnings soughtIs it possible to break even in mobile money in very small markets? Is one route to breakeven sharing one platform among multiple subsidiaries (each in small, isolated markets) of an operator group?StatusDigicel have successfully piloted the service and are in preparations for a full commercial launchAfghanistanBangladeshPakistanWest AfricaPhilippines KenyaCambodiaIndiaCameroonThailandFijiSri LankaUgandaTanzaniaBrazilIndonesiaIn total, 18 operators in 17 markets are now part of the MMU Fund portfolio
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  To learn more…Readthe blog: http://www.mmublog.org