International Mobile Banking Updates - Feb 1

Mobile Banking Takes Off In Nigeria
"When he graduated from the Stanford Graduate School of Business with an MBA in 2005, Nigerian-born Tayo Oviosu said advice from the business world in his home country was loud and clear—'don't come back.' At that time, he explained, 'Nigeria was still about who you knew, and people did not yet properly value experience from abroad.'"

Cellulant to run Barclays M-Banking services
"Cellulant Kenya has sealed a deal to provide mobile banking services for Barclays Africa across its markets in the continent. In a venture dubbed, ‘One Africa’ Barclays Bank has entered into a deal with Cellulant to offer satisfying customer digital experience."

Emerging Markets Set Stage for Mobile Wallet Shopping
"Increased use of mobile money in Kenya has created a ripe environment for the use of near field communication (NFC) technology and other forms of mobile wallets which could be more widely accepted as payment systems compared to traditional ones such as credit cards. Adoption of the alternative payment systems could not only further slow the growth of the use of credit cards but could also see the creation of a new market for NFC-enabled devices including point of sale terminals and mobile phones in the country."

Is mobile banking demand on the climb?
"Canadians are increasingly embracing mobile computing but are we keeners to access our bank accounts from smartphones or tablets? The answer to that question depends on whom you talk to. From the customer's perspective, mobile banking is about convenience. For the banks, mobile banking is about providing self-service options and increasing the number of transactions per customer. Thus more transactions will take place but at a lower cost-per-transaction."

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Obopay, Warid Telecom Partner to Launch Warid Pesa Mobile Banking and Payment Service in Uganda
"Obopay, a mobile payments company headquartered in the US state of California, has partnered with Warid Telecom, a Pakistan-based postpaid cellular phone service provider, to launch a mobile banking and payment service in Uganda called Warid Pesa. Warid Pesa allows customers to transfer money to other people and merchants, request money, obtain statements, obtain account balances, change personal identity numbers and top up prepaid phones for themselves or others."

Citi Hungary mobile app with GPS puts branches/ATMs on the map
"Batara Sianturi, Citi Country Officer for Hungary, said, 'Citibank Mobile Banking allows customers to enjoy a superior, secure and smart banking experience anytime and anywhere in the world, including transactions on their Citibank accounts. With this new application, we have made another significant step in reaching our goal to become the world's and Hungary's leading digital bank.'"

New considerations for mobile banking strategies in Europe
"comScore and Telefónica Germany announced the results of "Connected Europe" Study which highlights how smartphones and tablets are shifting media consumption in Europe. With regards to mobile banking, the study shows that over 20% of smartphone users in Europe accessed their bank accounts with their mobile devices and 12% used electronic payment services to pay for goods from their mobile phone."

Mobile Banking 2012 to reach new heights
"Trade Conferences International is proud to bring you the second annual Mobile Banking Southern Africa conference and exhibition. It will be held at the Indaba Hotel, Fourways, from 13 to 15 March and promises to be all that the 2011 event was, and more."