[kictanet] Kenya’s Banks ask for regulation on Mobile Money Transfers

Tue Oct 21 11:49:49 EAT 2008

The same way ppl stopped barter trading, they will move from the traditional banking ways i.e. transacting in physical money, going to the bank to withdraw or deposit, etc as new technologies are developed and improved. I would think these bank guys would learn somthing from the success in using mobile for payments. It might be unfair that the mobile ops are not following some regulations but IMHO that should not shadow the success of the solution. These regulations should be there to help make the solution better for the ppl.

--- On Tue, 10/21/08, Gakuru Alex <alexgakuru.lists at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Gakuru Alex <alexgakuru.lists at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Kenya’s Banks ask for regulation on Mobile Money Transfers
To: kiriinya2000 at yahoo.com
Cc: kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 10:32 AM

Hi Jothan,

Banks in Kenya have long frutstrated e-commerce because it makes them
lose the "central" transactions role. In that old world, banks ruled!
recall <http://www.relfe.com/plus_5_.html>.

Kenyan M-PESA innovation (hata ikiitwa ni ya nani?) has caused global
ripples "Big Banks Crush Mobile Innovation in Bangladesh"
<http://el-oso.net/blog/archives/2008/08/28/big-banks-crush-mobile-innovation-in-bangladesh/en/>

What the future?
1. To be on high alert in ensuring super mobicoms do not crush newer
innovations..
2. Banks embrace e-commerce else they perish completely into
irrelevance history
3. There's evidence Kenyan officials are opposite of Bangladeshi
bank-protectionists:)

Alex

On Tue, Oct 21, 2008 at 9:41 AM, Jotham Kilimo <jokilimo at yahoo.com>
wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I think the banks should not go for regulation as a way of checking the
> mobile phone money transfers. They should instead see how they can partner
> with the mobile phone operators in delivering a secure service to the
> majority of the people (potential bank customers). The banks could offer
the
> banking services and the mobile phone operators provide the platform.
>
> This is not the first non-bank money transfer service in the country.
There
> was the now obsolete Telegraphic Money Order (TMO), which the banks did
not
> challenge as it is doing now. The difference is that the M-Pesa and
Sokotele
> are using a device (mobile phone) that is conveniently in the reach of
> millions of citizens, hence the fast growth. But the needs driving this
> service are the same ones during the days of the TMO; mostly sending money
> to rural folks and small business transactions.
>
> Jotham K. Mwale
>
> --- On Sun, 10/19/08, aki <aki275 at googlemail.com> wrote:
>
> From: aki <aki275 at googlemail.com>
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Kenya's Banks ask for regulation on Mobile
Money
> Transfers
> To: jokilimo at yahoo.com
> Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions"
<kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
> Date: Sunday, October 19, 2008, 1:29 AM
>
> Here's an article from the net : Big Banks crush Mobile Innovation in
> Bangladesh ?:
>
> "Banks, the traditional leader in payment systems, see mobile banking
as a
> new threat if private telecom operators are allowed to use their outlets
for
> money transfer without law," writes journalist Sajjadur Rahman. I
don't know
> what he means by "without law", but I do know what's behind
this quote by a
> government official: "We won't let anything, which hurts the
banking
> industry, happen."
> It is a classic example of powerful lobbyists delaying a new technology to
> protect their industry interests. Mobile banking allows any mobile phone
> customer to deposit money into his or her phone account at any mobile
phone
> outlet (which are everywhere in countries like Bangladesh) and transfer
that
> money to any other mobile phone user. M-PESA in Kenya has shown how this
can
> bring basic banking services to millions of rural residents who would
> otherwise never open a traditional bank account.
> Mahmud Sattar, president of the Association of Banks of Bangladesh,
offered
> this line to the Daily Star: "We have given our opinions at the
meeting and
> told the central bank that banks have no objection to using modern
> technology as a tool of expanding delivery channels."
> The problem is that banks aren't in the position to introduce mobile
banking
> whereas phone companies are. If mobile banking services are not
introduced,
> it is the rural poor who are denied the services.
> Just ten days ago Mark Pickens wrote an article at CGAP, which says that
> traditional banks in Kenya are irked that Safaricom is able to operate its
> M-PESA mobile banking service with so few regulations in place. With 2.7
> million clients, it may be that M-PESA became too successful too fast and,
> having learned their lessons, banks in other developing countries
won't
> allow mobile phone companies to dig into such a large market share.
> http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=52017
>
>
http://technology.cgap.org/2008/08/18/should-banks-play-offense-or-defense-with-the-poor/
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, Oct 18, 2008 at 1:21 PM, alice <alice at apc.org> wrote:
>>
>>        (From Balancing Act)
>>
>>
>>
>>        Kenya's Banks ask for regulation on Mobile Money Transfers
>>
>> The banking fraternity is crying foul over what it described as unfair
>> and increasing competition from money transfer operators. The industry
>> says the operators are enjoying privileges similar to those extended
to
>> deposit taking institutions despite not being covered by the same
>> regulatory regime.
>>
>> "Currently, there is no legal framework within which these
entities
>> provide their services despite behaving like current account
>> institutions," says John Wanyela, executive director of the Kenya
>> Bankers Association. "If these operators want to join the
financial
>> sector, they have to be properly licensed."
>>
>> The bankers are calling on the government to subject the services to
>> prudential regulations "for robust and secure movement of funds
across
>> the economy." Under the proposed guideline, the services will
have to be
>> supervised by a specialised financial regulatory authority that will
>> oversee their financial soundness and stability.
>>
>> Currently, the two leading mobile phone service providers - Zain and
>> Safaricom - are offering money-transfer services in the country under
>> Sokotele and M-Pesa brands respectively. Like other deposit takers,
the
>> bankers association wants the mobile cash transfer operators
restricted
>> on how much deposits they can take.
>>
>> To avert undue competition with the banking fraternity, Wanyela says,
>> M-Pesa and Sokotele services have to meet the capitalisation
requirement
>> as stipulated in the Banking Act. According to the Act, a deposit
taking
>> institution should maintain a minimum capitalisation of Ksh250 million
>> ($3.5 million).
>>
>> This is however expected to double come December next year before
>> hitting Ksh1 billion ($14.2 million) by 2010 after capitalisation
>> requirements were amended in this financial year's budget. The
bankers
>> also say the "digital money" has implications for the
conduct of
>> monetary policy by the Central Bank of Kenya.
>>
>> To control inflation levels in the country, CBK continuously monitors
>> the amount of money in circulation, mainly in the hands of people and
>> commercial banks. With the monies in circulation, CBK is in a position
>> to maintain a reserve money target and, therefore, intervene to
control
>> inflation. Observers say it is this huge amount of money circulating
>> electronically that has defeated CBK in the fight against inflation.
>>
>> Wanyela says it is time the government stepped in to ensure M-Pesa and
>> Sokotele services are regulated before "something goes
wrong." Debate
>> has been rife on who should regulate the mobile phone money transfer
>> operators, with some arguing that the CBK should be party to the
>> issuance of guidelines as "part of M-Pesa and Sokotele services
fall
>> under the national payments system."
>>
>> Fundamentally, the two mobile operations are guided by the
>> Communications Commission of Kenya. Early last month, CBK said it had
no
>> intention of bringing the mobile cash transfer services under the
>> Banking Act.
>>
>> It claimed that treating the money transfer services under the Act may
>> impede competition in sector that is still at its infancy in a country
>> whose majority population has limited access to financial services.
>>
>>
>> Safaricom statistics show that as at the end of the first quarter of
>> this year, more than Ksh3.1 billion ($44.2 million) had been
>> transferred. From its launch in March 2007 till May this year, the
>> service has facilitated the transfer of more than Ksh23.77 billion
>> ($339.5 million).
>> (Source: The East African)
>>
>> For further information on mobile payments in Africa purchase
Balancing
>> Act's report  "M-Money - Finances, Banking and Payments
through mobile
>> phones"
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
> --
> Blog http://aki-opensource.blogspot.com/
>
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