M-PESA

Safaricom’s Ethiopian unit moved a step closer to launching mobile money service m-Pesa after it was awarded a licence from authorities, with the country’s central bank citing strong public demand for digital finance offerings.

Según Bloomberg, la operadora keniana Safaricom, filial de Vodafone, ha informado de que está negociando con Amazon el uso de su plataforma m-Pesa de dinero móvil como medio de pago en la citada tienda digital.

Safaricom revealed a tie-up with global transaction giant Visa on developing digital payment services for the operator’s m-Pesa platform and expanding e-commerce options for merchants.

International money transfer company WorldRemit extended its reach in Tanzania to include mobile money accounts provided by Vodacom.

LIVE FROM MOBILE 360 – AFRICA, KIGALI, RWANDA: Vodacom Group revealed plans to open its mobile money platform to customers of other operators in a number of African markets, as part of a strategy to expand the service.

Kenya’s central bank and communications regulators urged caution about imposing a law which would force Safaricom to separate its m-Pesa business from its communications unit, Business Daily Africa reported.

Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore announced the operator would form a joint venture with its largest shareholder Vodacom to acquire IP related to m-Pesa from Vodafone Group, Reuters reported.