EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: VimpelCom CTO Yogesh Malik explained how the group intends to reproduce in other markets the mobile money take-up achieved in Pakistan, including the deployment of a global platform.

He agreed such services could spread across Asia in a similar way to Africa, generally considered a hotbed for mobile money.

“I would say so because honestly I did not know there was such a big potential in Pakistan. And actually the unbanked population is so huge that we can really serve them. Not only the people but the businesses, government and employees of govenment,” he said.

In its Q4 2015 results, VimpelCom’s Mobilink unit in Pakistan saw a 72 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue from mobile financial services. It now accounts for 3 per cent of the unit’s total service revenue.

Other operators, including rival Telenor, have likewise experienced strong take up of mobile money in the country.

VimpelCom’s CTO went on to explain how the group plans a global platform to enable the rapid deployment of new features and customer enhancements.

Watch the full video here.