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Mobile Banking Part 3

In this video series-3, Ignacio Mas, Senior Advisor, CGAP, discusses the role of various partners involved in making branch-less banking a sustainable business model. Ignacio talks about the numerous choices MFIs must make on various fronts such as technology, business model, product, marketing etc before adopting rolling out branchless banking channel. He emphasises on developing a practical business model where all the participants MFIs, telcos and agents work together to make branchless banking a success.

Pilot and Rollout Issues for Mobile Phone Banking Services

This note explains about strategies and provides guidance in handling the challenges and issues concerning institutional issues; regulatory & compliance issues; monitoring and feedback from customers and merchants during pilot test and rollout; partnership support and coordination in pilot testing and rolling out mobile phone banking services. Institutional issues include significant training for frontline and back office staff. Regulatory compliance issues must be addressed and it is important to get the regulators on board early. Pilot testing mobile phone banking applications can also be challenging due to the potential for exponential uptake which may make controlled pilot tests more difficult so most institutions at least start with their staff and selected clients in the beginning. Testing partner relationships whether they are between banks, MFIs, MNOs, or third party service providers, or combinations of all four, are important.

Mobile Banking Part 2

In this video series-2, Ignacio Mas, Senior Advisor, CGAP, discusses the biggest issue of m-banking sector – remuneration of an agent. He elaborates the steps needed to regularise it and further enlists the benefits global operators and banks enjoy within this business model whereas agents are struggling to fit within. Ignacio highlights security and numerous visits to the bank as the two major problems for an agent adding that the fundamental problem is the business model at the store where the transaction occurs. In addition, he talks about the challenge to increase the volume of transactions on this cheaper transaction platform.

Mobile Banking Part 1

In this video series-1, Ignacio Mas, Senior Advisor, CGAP, discusses the opportunity of branch-less banking through mobile banking framework. He speaks on the need for establishment of trust in such system. He further emphasises the need to include a variety of transactions on such mobile-banking platform to make the business model viable and sustainable.