<div dir="ltr">Openness<div><br></div><div>I have always felt very strongly about this issue and I agree M-PESA should be open. I used to barge Michael Joseph relentlessly about this. Open first in the sense that third parties can interface their products on their API but secondly and more importantly, open to talk to other platforms the way banks talk to each other. I can withdraw money from Pesa Point or another non-Barclays quite easily.</div>
<div><br></div><div>The fact is we cannot let platforms that stifle innovation continue to prosper. AT&T was finally split up in 1984 not because of its overwhelming market dominance, but that IT WAS REFUSING TO ALLOW NEW INNOVATIONS TO WORK ON ITS PLATFORMS thus overall stifling technology.</div>
<div><br></div><div>In the same way, this is not a sustainable position for M-PESA if it projects its medium to long-term horizon, surely it must see that even the government will not be comfortable constantly hearing that this % of our GDP passes through M-PESA.</div>
<div><br></div><div>If I was Safaricom I would be strategizing on how to open up the platform as painlessly as possible before the combination of disruptive market forces and government national security interests converge.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Already I can deposit money into my bank account with M-PESA and withdraw it with Airtel Money. Surely, you don't need to be a genius to see that you don't need that middle man called the bank if the demand for the service is there.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Regards</div><div><br></div><div>James</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Aug 6, 2013 at 9:15 AM, Mark Mwangi <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mwangy@gmail.com" target="_blank">mwangy@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">In my opinion what Equity is asking for is for a common platform aka a common account that can be credited and debited by airtel money, yu cash orange money, tangaza etc in the manner that a visa credit card is open game for any merchant, bank etc. This way M-pesa becomes a platform and not a safaricom product. <div>
<br></div><div>I actually don't see how Safaricom looses in this scenario. Exponentially more transaction fee collections, Increased dependence by industry players, maintain the intellectual property and ownership of the platform etc. </div>
<div><br></div><div>Maybe they are reluctant due to technological immaturity. I also wouldn't want to embarrass myself after being feted worldwide. </div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">
<div class="im">
On Mon, Aug 5, 2013 at 8:31 PM, Kivuva <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:Kivuva@transworldafrica.com" target="_blank">Kivuva@transworldafrica.com</a>></span> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div class="im">
@areba, what Equity wants, if I'm not wrong is the ability for you to<br>
setup a club within MPESA where you can use the platform to transfer<br>
funds without them passing through Safaricom.<br>
<br>
The MPESA platform becomes an enabler. Unless anybody else has a<br>
better understanding.<br>
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