When discussing financial inclusion in Africa, it’s hard to have that conversation without including M-Pesa. The product, born in 2007, has utilized the telecommunication networks to provide a way for Kenyans, and now many other Africans, to hold and transfer funds digitally through mobile money. Today, M-Pesa transfers over a $1B each month from their…
DetailsI did a research these past few days trying to find out when the first articles and news about the disruption of remittances by the fintech revolution were published. I could not find any before 2010, the year when the first IMTC Conference took place in Miami. The first articles have dates dating to 2011…
DetailsLeaf enables users to digitally store savings, receive money from abroad, and manage from a mobile device using blockchain technology. They are the first to make such an application that can be accessed from a USSD platform, as well as a smartphone. We spoke with co-founder and CTO of Leaf, Tori Samples, today who has…
DetailsIt seems that the world is convinced that one of the teachings that this COVID-19 crisis has brought us is the need to step-up the drive to digital in the provision of financial services. There is a new consensus that ditching face-to-face contacts – and brick-and-mortar locations, and replace them with digital interactions is the…
DetailsIf one thing is sure, this pandemic will change how we address our issues, personally and professionally. This week we spoke to Luis Cambronero, co-founder of TransferZero. We wanted to analyze with him the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on cross-border payments companies. Our main question is: What are the challenges and opportunities money transfer…
DetailsToday it is possible to order almost anything from an app. Within taps and swipes, items can be viewed from around the world, prices and features can be compared, and the chosen items delivered within a few days. The consumer is certainly in control — that is, as long as you have a digital way…
DetailsUpdate on the Remittance Community Task Force – RCTF: The Private Sector – As you should know by now, especially if you read our first article on the Remittance Community Task Force (RCTF), this is an initiative created by IFAD from a UN mandate, to get all the stakeholders in the money transfer sector to bring…
DetailsRead my blog inspired by the article written in Medium by fintech author John Biggs about his life during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York which he named “Racing in the Dark”. He referenced other authors and books to remind us that, as humans, we once spent whole seasons confined, hibernating, overwintering. The article let…
DetailsThe March 19 announcement by the United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, has called for global solidarity in response to the coronavirus crisis. In response to this dire scenario, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), through its Financing Facility for Remittances (FFR) is convening the Remittance Community Task Force to address the challenges…
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