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Comparative Study of Mobile Money in Kenya and Malaŵi

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The Regulation of Mobile Money

Abstract

This chapter undertakes a comparative study of mobile money services in Kenya and Malaŵi (Malawi). It provides a background to the development of the M-Pesa in Kenya as a remittance system that rode on the simple and yet powerful slogan Send Home. In most parts of sub-Saharan Africa, where migrant labour still exists, remittance to families and relatives in rural areas remained a key challenge which mobile money seems to have solved. The chapter examines factors that have led M-Pesa to be very successful in Kenya but not in other jurisdictions like Tanzania. It also examines the differences in operation between telco-led and bank-led models. While telco-led models are regulated as quasi-financial services, bank-led come under the prudential ambit of financial services regulation.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Bilichi Kenya (2018) ‘Top Ten Companies in Kenya by Market Valuation 2018’ (28 February 2018), https://bilichi.co.ke/top-10-companies-kenya-2018/. 27 December 2018.

  2. 2.

    Mas and Ng’weno (2010).

  3. 3.

    The development fund arm of the British Government.

  4. 4.

    Porteous (2006), p. 26. See also Hughes and Lonie (2007).

  5. 5.

    AFI (2010), p. 4.

  6. 6.

    Ibid. The remittance dilemma is discussed in Chapter 4.

  7. 7.

    Mas and Ng’weno (2010).

  8. 8.

    Anon (2010) ‘Out of Thin Air’ The Economist (10 June 2010), http://www.economist.com/node/16319635. 15 December 2018.

  9. 9.

    Morawczynski and Miscione (2008), p. 292.

  10. 10.

    Ibid.

  11. 11.

    Nathan Hedgedus (2012) ‘An African Success Story Revealed’ (2) Ericsson Business Review 10, p. 12, http://www.ericsson.com/res/thecompany/docs/publications/business-review/2012/issue2/an_african_success_story_explained.pdf. 15 December 2018.

  12. 12.

    Mas and Morawczynski (2009), pp. 79–80.

  13. 13.

    Sam Floy (2016) ‘How and Why Mobile Money (M-Pesa) Works in Kenya’ Our Mobile World (13 October 2016), http://samfloy.com/how-and-why-mobilelectronicmoney-m-pesa-works-in-kenya/. 7 April 2018. Also see Mas and Ng’weno (2010), p. 8.

  14. 14.

    Jack et al. (2010), p. 87.

  15. 15.

    Akin Oyebode (2014) ‘M-Pesa and Beyond—Why Mobile Money Worked in Kenya and Struggles in Other Markets’ Venture Capital for Africa (15 May 2014), http://vc4africa.biz/blog/2014/01/15/m-pesa-and-beyond-why-mobilelectronicmoney-worked-in-kenya-and-struggles-in-other-markets/. 15 December 2018.

  16. 16.

    Isern and De Koker (2012).

  17. 17.

    IFC (2011) ‘IFC Mobile Money Study 2011—Summary Report’ (International Finance Corporation), p. 18, http://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/fad057004a052eb88b23ffdd29332b51/MobileMoneyReport-Summary.pdf?MOD=AJPERES. 15 December 2018.

  18. 18.

    Ibid., p. 18.

  19. 19.

    Graham Kajilwa (2015) ‘Safaricom and Airtel Lose Market Share to New Comers, Regulator Report Shows’ Standard (28 December 2015), http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/article/2000186415/safaricom-and-airtel-lose-market-share-to-new-comers-regulator-report-shows. 31 October 2018.

  20. 20.

    Kristie Wang (2012) ‘Replicating M-Pesa: Mobile and Cloud Technology Spur Innovation in Financial Inclusion’ (15 December 2016), http://nextbillion.net/blogpost.aspx?blogid=2869.

  21. 21.

    Matt Krueger (2011) ‘Four Reasons M-Pesa Succeeded in Kenya’ Mobile Money Exchange (9 May 2011), https://mobilemoneyexchange.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/four-reasons-m-pesa-succeeded-in-kenya/. 10 March 2018.

  22. 22.

    Wolgang Fengler (2012) ‘How Kenya Became a World Leader for Mobile Money’ (Africa Can End Poverty, The World Bank, 16 July 2012), http://blogs.worldbank.org/africacan/how-kenya-became-a-world-leader-for-mobilelectronicmoney. 7 April 2018.

  23. 23.

    Mas and Ng’weno (2010), p. 24.

  24. 24.

    Heeks (2012).

  25. 25.

    Idongesit Williams and Benjamin Kwofie (2014) ‘The Impact of Liberalization on the Mobile Telephony Market in Africa’ in Knud Erik Skouby and Williams Idongesit (eds) The African Mobile Story (River Publishers, Copenhagen), p. 37.

  26. 26.

    Ibid.

  27. 27.

    Ibid.

  28. 28.

    Sean Kane (2002) ‘Telecom Reform and Poverty Alleviation in Kenya’ (3) African Journal of Information and Communication 31, p. 38.

  29. 29.

    Williams and Kwofie (2014), p. 38.

  30. 30.

    Fengler (2012).

  31. 31.

    Krueger (2011).

  32. 32.

    Ibid.

  33. 33.

    Oyebode (2014).

  34. 34.

    Ibid.

  35. 35.

    Fengler (2012).

  36. 36.

    Jack and Suri (2011), p. 7.

  37. 37.

    Ibid.

  38. 38.

    AFI (2010), p. 1.

  39. 39.

    Ibid., p. 2. The Standard carried an article described it as disaster waiting to happen—John Njiraini and James Anyanzwa (2008) ‘Unmasking the Storm Behind M-Pesa’ The Standard (30 December 2008), http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=1144002826&story_title=. 13 March 2018.

  40. 40.

    AFI (2010), p. 3.

  41. 41.

    Ibid., p. 1.

  42. 42.

    Ibid., p. 4.

  43. 43.

    Ibid., pp. 4–5.

  44. 44.

    Ibid., p. 3.

  45. 45.

    Ibid., p. 12.

  46. 46.

    Hedgedus (2012), p. 15.

  47. 47.

    Anon (2016a) ‘Mobile Money—M-Pesa in Kenya, 7 Things Worth Knowing’ SEPA Mobile Payments (20 November 2015), http://www.sepaforcorporates.com/sepa-mobile-payments/mobilelectronicmoney-m-pesa-kenya-7-things-didnt-know/. 31 October 2018.

  48. 48.

    Hilton Tarrant (2011) ‘Why Kenya’s M-Pesa Won’t Work Anywhere Else’ (Moneyweb, 13 March 2015), http://www.moneyweb.co.za/archive/why-kenyas-mpesa-wont-work-anywhere-else/.

  49. 49.

    Ibid.

  50. 50.

    Morawczynski and Miscione (2008), p. 293.

  51. 51.

    Ibid., p. 295.

  52. 52.

    Ibid., p. 293.

  53. 53.

    Ibid.

  54. 54.

    Ibid.

  55. 55.

    Mas and Morawczynski (2009), p. 78.

  56. 56.

    Krueger (2011).

  57. 57.

    Camner and Sjöblom (2009), p. 7.

  58. 58.

    Heeks (2012).

  59. 59.

    Oyebode (2014).

  60. 60.

    Anon (2013b) ‘Why Does Kenya Lead the World in Mobile Money?’ The Economist (27 May 2013), http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2013/05/economist-explains-18. 15 December 2018.

  61. 61.

    Morawczynski and Miscione (2008), p. 296.

  62. 62.

    Ibid.

  63. 63.

    Eric Ombok (2010) ‘Safaricom Names Collymore as Chief Executive Officer’ Bloomberg Business (22 July 2010), http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2010-07-22/kenya-s-safaricom-appoints-bob-collymore-as-ceo-replacing-michael-joseph. 16 March 2018.

  64. 64.

    Anon (2007a) ‘Kibera UK—The Gap Year Company’ (Kibera UK Charity), http://www.kibera.org.uk/Facts.html. 16 March 2018. Others have Khayelitsha, the South African slum in Cape Town as the biggest in Africa—Daniel Tovrov (2011) ‘5 Biggest Slums in the World’ International Business Times (9 December 2011), http://www.ibtimes.com/5-biggest-slums-world-381338. 16 March 2018.

  65. 65.

    Morawczynski and Miscione (2008), p. 289.

  66. 66.

    Ibid.

  67. 67.

    Ibid., p. 290.

  68. 68.

    Ibid.

  69. 69.

    Ibid.

  70. 70.

    Ibid.

  71. 71.

    Ibid.

  72. 72.

    Ibid.

  73. 73.

    Anon (2013b).

  74. 74.

    Ibid.

  75. 75.

    Tarrant (2011).

  76. 76.

    Mas and Ng’weno (2010), p. 2.

  77. 77.

    Ibid., p. 6.

  78. 78.

    Ibid., p. 7.

  79. 79.

    Ibid., p. 8.

  80. 80.

    Ibid., p. 3.

  81. 81.

    Mas and Morawczynski (2009), p. 86.

  82. 82.

    Safaricom (2016a) ‘M-PESA Rates’ (Safaricom), https://www.safaricom.co.ke/personal/m-pesa/get-started-with-m-pesa/m-pesa-tariffs. 9 May 2018.

  83. 83.

    Ibid.

  84. 84.

    IFC (2011), p. 19.

  85. 85.

    James Crabtree (2012) ‘M-Pesa’s Cautious Start in India’ Financial Times (New York, 27 December 2012), http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a09c0f68-4a9a-11e2-9650-00144feab49a.html#axzz3UGBgLWPj. 15 December 2018.

  86. 86.

    Tarrant (2011).

  87. 87.

    Crabtree (2012) and Wang (2012).

  88. 88.

    Oyebode (2014) and James Crabtree (2012).

  89. 89.

    Ibid.

  90. 90.

    Camner and Sjöblom (2009), p. 3.

  91. 91.

    Ibid., p. 4.

  92. 92.

    Ibid.

  93. 93.

    Emil Sjöblom, Gunnar Camner and Caroline Pulver (2009) What Makes a Successful Mobile Money Implementation? Learnings from M-PESA in Kenya and Tanzania (GSMA), p. 4, http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/What-makes-a-successful-mobilelectronicmoney-implementation.pdf. 1 March 2018.

  94. 94.

    Camner and Sjöblom (2009), p. 7.

  95. 95.

    Julius Nyerere (1967) ‘The Arusha Declaration’ (Tanganyika African National Union), https://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/nyerere/1967/arusha-declaration.htm. 15 December 2018.

  96. 96.

    Camner and Sjöblom (2009), p. 7.

  97. 97.

    Ibid., p. 7.

  98. 98.

    Ibid., p. 2.

    Population density of 66.2 per square km for Kenya and 43.9 for Tanzania.

  99. 99.

    Camner and Sjöblom (2009), p. 6.

  100. 100.

    Ibid., p. 2.

  101. 101.

    Ibid.

  102. 102.

    Ibid.

  103. 103.

    Ibid., p. 4.

  104. 104.

    Camner and Sjöblom (2009), p. 4.

  105. 105.

    Ibid.

  106. 106.

    Ibid.

  107. 107.

    Camner and Sjöblom (2009), p. 7.

  108. 108.

    Ibid., p. 2.

  109. 109.

    Ibid., p. 3.

  110. 110.

    Camner and Sjöblom (2009), p. 3.

  111. 111.

    AFI (2010), p. 1.

  112. 112.

    Camner and Sjöblom (2009), p. 2.

  113. 113.

    Ibid.

  114. 114.

    Camner and Sjöblom (2009), p. 9.

  115. 115.

    Lynsey Chutel (2016) ‘Vodacom Has Given Up on Revolutionary Mobile Money Service M-Pesa, in South Africa’ Quartz Africa Weekly Brief (9 May 2016), https://qz.com/679059/vodacom-has-given-up-on-revolutionary-mobilelectronicmoney-service-m-pesa-in-south-africa/. 10 January 2018.

  116. 116.

    Ibid.

  117. 117.

    Vodacom (2016b) ‘Ada za M-Pesa’ (Vodacom Tanzania PLC), https://vodacom.co.tz/mpesa/consumers/mpesa_tarrifs. 9 May 2018.

  118. 118.

    Airtel (2013a). Anon (2013a) ‘TNM Launches Mobile Money Mpamba to Build Great Malawi Nation’ Nyasa Times, http://www.nyasatimes.com/tnm-launches-mobilelectronicmoney-mpamba-to-build-great-malawi-nation/. 28 December 2018.

  119. 119.

    Although in truth Malaŵi was never a colony but a protectorate.

  120. 120.

    ADB (2014) ‘Comparing the Real Size of African Economies’ (African Development Bank), p. 16, https://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Project-and-Operations/Highlights_-_Comparing_the_Real_Size_of_Africa_Economies_%E2%80%93_Main_results_of_the_2011_round_of_the_International_Comparison_Program__ICP_.pdf. 20 July 2018.

  121. 121.

    ADB (2014), p. 24.

  122. 122.

    Anon (2017) ‘African Countries by Population’ (Worldometers), http://www.worldometers.info/population/countries-in-africa-by-population/. 20 July 2018.

  123. 123.

    CIA (2014) ‘The World Factbook’ (Central Intelligence Agency), https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html. 20 July 2018.

  124. 124.

    Airtel is owned by the Barhti Group of India. The company (in Malaŵi) was previously known as Zain after Zain had bought the company from Celtel.

  125. 125.

    Mkoloma (2015).

  126. 126.

    Ibid.

  127. 127.

    Ibid.

  128. 128.

    Ibid.

  129. 129.

    Ibid.

  130. 130.

    Ibid.

  131. 131.

    Ibid.

  132. 132.

    Ibid.

  133. 133.

    Ibid.

  134. 134.

    Ibid.

  135. 135.

    Ibid.

  136. 136.

    Ibid.

  137. 137.

    Ibid.

  138. 138.

    Ibid.

  139. 139.

    Ibid.

  140. 140.

    Ibid.

  141. 141.

    Ibid.

  142. 142.

    Ibid.

  143. 143.

    Ibid.

  144. 144.

    Airtel (2013e) ‘Agents’ (Airtel Malaŵi), http://africa.airtel.com/wps/wcm/connect/AfricaRevamp/Malawi/Airtel_Money/Home/Agents. 23 March 2018.

  145. 145.

    Ibid.

  146. 146.

    Airtel (2013a).

  147. 147.

    Ibid.

  148. 148.

    Ibid.

  149. 149.

    Airtel (2013c).

  150. 150.

    Ibid.

  151. 151.

    Mkoloma (2015).

  152. 152.

    Airtel (2013a).

  153. 153.

    Ibid.

  154. 154.

    Airtel (2013d) ‘Airtel—How It Works: Send Money’ (Airtel Malaŵi), http://africa.airtel.com/wps/wcm/connect/africarevamp/malawi/airtel_money/home/personal/how_it_works/send_money. 23 March 2018.

  155. 155.

    Airtel (2013b) ‘Airtel—Merchants and Utilities’ (Airtel Malaŵi), http://africa.airtel.com/wps/wcm/connect/AfricaRevamp/Malawi/Airtel_Money/Home/Merchants_and_utilities. 23 March 2018.

  156. 156.

    Mkoloma (2015).

  157. 157.

    Ibid.

  158. 158.

    Ibid.

  159. 159.

    Ibid.

  160. 160.

    Ibid.

  161. 161.

    Formerly Telekom Networks Malaysia, it was the first player in the mobile phone business in Malaŵi.

  162. 162.

    Mbekeani (2015).

  163. 163.

    Ibid.

  164. 164.

    Ibid.

  165. 165.

    Ibid.

  166. 166.

    Ibid.

  167. 167.

    TNM (2014a) ‘What Is Mpamba’ (Telekom Networks Malawi), https://www.tnmmpamba.co.mw/index.php/what-is-mpamba. 20 March 2018.

  168. 168.

    Ibid.

  169. 169.

    Ibid.

  170. 170.

    Ibid.

  171. 171.

    TNM (2014b) ‘How to Use Mpamba: Customers’ (Telekom Networks Malawi), https://www.tnmmpamba.co.mw/index.php/user-guide. 20 March 2018.

  172. 172.

    TNM (2014c) ‘How to Use Mpamba: Agents’ (Telekom Networks Malawi), https://www.tnmmpamba.co.mw/index.php/user-guide/agent-user-guide. 20 March 2018.

  173. 173.

    The author worked for the telecommunications sector (1991–1999).

  174. 174.

    Charles Simango (2015) ‘Mobile Money Is New Fashion in Malawi’ The Nation (3 February 2015), http://mwnation.com/mobilelectronicmoney-newfashion-malawi/. 11 May 2018.

  175. 175.

    RBM (2016) Monthly National Payments System Report: July 2016 (Reserve Bank of Malaŵi), p. 1, https://www.rbm.mw/PaymentSystems/GetContentFile/?ContentID=7870. 12 May 2018.

  176. 176.

    TNM (2016) Annual Report 2015 (Telekom Networks Malaŵi Limited), p. 10, https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9DwraK-rABVQUlRYnoyTlo0Znc/view. 11 March 2018.

  177. 177.

    Ibid., p. 10.

  178. 178.

    Unlike TNM which is a publicly listed company, Airtel is a private company.

  179. 179.

    MACRA (2016) National Survey on Access to and Usage of ICT Services in Malawi (Malaŵi Communications Regulatory Authority Blantyre), p. 12, http://www.macra.org.mw/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/MACRA-Survey-Report-National-Household-and-Individual-access-to-and-usage-of-ICT.pdf. 11 March 2018.

  180. 180.

    Ibid.

  181. 181.

    Ibid.

  182. 182.

    MACRA (2016), p. 14.

  183. 183.

    Ibid.

  184. 184.

    Ibid.

  185. 185.

    Mbekeani (2015).

  186. 186.

    Ibid.

  187. 187.

    Ibid.

  188. 188.

    Maurer (2011).

  189. 189.

    Alan Gibson (2006) Developing Financial Services Markets for the Poor: FinMark in South Africa (Making Markets Work for the Poor: Case Studies Series, Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft, Bern), p. 5, http://www.value-chains.org/dyn/bds/docs/614/M4P_case_study_FinMark_april2007.pdf. 19 March 2018.

  190. 190.

    Ibid., p. 11.

  191. 191.

    Tovrov (2011).

  192. 192.

    Porteous (2006), p. 27.

  193. 193.

    By use of a Maestro branded debit card which is part of the account—ibid., p. 27.

  194. 194.

    Ibid.

  195. 195.

    Rabecca Harrison (2005) ‘Cell Phones Plug Africa’s Poor into Mobile Banking’ Reuters South Africa (1 November 2005), https://www.mail-archive.com/telecom-cities@forums.nyu.edu/msg00327.html. 21 Janaury 2018.

  196. 196.

    Mas and Morawczynski (2009), p. 77.

  197. 197.

    WIZZIT (2016a) ‘History’ (WIZZIT), http://www.wizzit.co.za/?q=node/197. 14 May 2018.

  198. 198.

    WIZZIT (2016b) ‘Cellphone Banking’ (WIZZIT), http://www.wizzit.co.za/?q=node/68. 14 May 2018.

  199. 199.

    WIZZIT (2016c) ‘Who We Are’ (WIZZIT International), http://wizzit-int.com.dedi89.cpt1.host-h.net/who-we-are/. 14 May 2018.

  200. 200.

    South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania, Romania, Rwanda, Namibia, Botswana, Honduras, and Nigeria.

  201. 201.

    WIZZIT (2016c). Anon (2014) ‘WIZZIT CEO: Reflections & Predictions for the Future of Mobile Money’ (Mondato Insight, Mondato, 14 January 2016), http://mondato.com/blog/wizzit-founder/. 14 May 2018.

  202. 202.

    WIZZIT (2016c).

  203. 203.

    An entity called MTN Mobile Money South Africa was formed—Cisco (2012) MTN Mobile Money Service (Mobile Connected Life Experiences, Cisco), http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns341/ns525/ns537/ns705/ns1058/Cisco_MTN_CS.pdf. 19 March 2018.

  204. 204.

    Porteous (2006), p. 26.

  205. 205.

    MTN (2016) ‘MTN Mobile Money’ (Mobile Telephone Network, South Africa), https://www.mtn.co.za/everyday_services/useful_extras/Banking/Pages/mobile_banking.aspx. 19 March 2018.

  206. 206.

    Ibid.

  207. 207.

    Ibid.

  208. 208.

    Ibid.

  209. 209.

    Anon (2007b) ‘WIZZIT: Banking the Unbanked in South Africa’ (World Bank) (Audio Visual), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SKhCYoF0Lg. 1 March 2018.

  210. 210.

    Heeks (2012).

  211. 211.

    Chutel (2016).

  212. 212.

    Rabelani Dagada (2015) ‘Mobile Money Stalls in SA’ ITWeb in Banking (10 February 2018), http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=141012. 19 March 2018.

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Madise, S. (2019). Comparative Study of Mobile Money in Kenya and Malaŵi. In: The Regulation of Mobile Money. Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Banking and Financial Institutions. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13831-8_7

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