Visa
and Bharti Airtel, a telecommunications services provider with
operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, this week announced a
partnership to bring mobile payment services to seven markets in Africa
including Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Seychelles and
Tanzania, according to a press release.
Visa
and Airtel will build on the existing capabilities of Airtel's Mobile
Money service, enabling subscribers to use their Airtel Money account to
pay in stores and online wherever Visa is accepted. Additionally,
customers can withdraw money and make payments from their Airtel Money
account using their Airtel Money Visa companion card.
"Mobile
payments can transform the lives of people throughout Africa who
commonly have access to a mobile phone, but not a bank," said Vish
Sowani, vice president of MNO partnerships for Visa. "For most new
subscribers, this will represent their first payment account and bring
some of the latest digital payment advancements into the everyday
experiences of Airtel's customers."
In
addition to everyday Visa transactions in stores, online and at ATMs,
Airtel Money can also be used to make micropayments, conduct fund
transfers, purchase airtime and prepaid electricity, plus Internet
bundles.
"We
are excited to embark on the next phase of development for Airtel Money
with our new partner, Visa," said Chidi Okpala, director and head of
Airtel Money Africa. "We can look forward to further empowering our
Airtel Money customers with access to retail, ATM and online payments
using only their Airtel Mobile Phone and companion card to manage all
their mobile payment needs."
Visa
and Airtel have already launched an Airtel Money Visa Card in Kenya and
will roll out services in other markets starting in early 2015.
Source: Balancingact- Africa
0 comments:
Post a Comment