Mobile Money and The Cairo 2008 Initiative

How Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are bring banking to the un-banked poor of the world?

In Cairo, Egypt, over 400 senior executives from financial services institutions, mobile network operators, development organizations, solutions vendors and regulatory and policy makers gathered, their mission, how to bring banks to the close to 5 billion people around the world have little or no access to banks.

Conventional banks have traditionally looked at the poor masses with disdain. They do not want them near their lush, pristine halls and these have also learned from years of neglect to look at the banks from a distance. But all that is about to change! The poor do not need to go to the bank, the bank is about to be brought to them through Mobile Money or Self baking.

I read a book years ago, by a renowned futurist Daniel Burrus and in his book Technotrend, he stated that once a technology card is dealt, it will be played. Mobile Money or Mobile Banking and MCommerce are two sides of the same technology card. The card has been dealt and will be played, not just because it works, but because it makes sense and have huge potentials.

Mobile Money or Self Banking has been in the works for 8 years. It was not until 2007 that it has recorded any significant leap. The Internet was also slow in development, but once the component technologies that powered it began to integrate seamlessly, the growth of the Internet was phenomenal. The same can be said to be the case with Mobile Money, MCommerce and Self Banking. For Mobile Money or Self Banking to work, different parties and technologies will have to work together- the Mobile Network Operators, MNOs, the financial institutions, the policy makers, the vendors and all, will have to talk to and understand each other.

One of the issues that recurred during the 2008 Cairo Initiative is the question of government regulations. There is the real danger of governments over-regulating the nascent industry due to concerns about money laundering. While that is a legitimate concern, the Cairo group cautions governments to proceed with care and common sense in their regulations.

Oddly enough, Mobile Banking has found more love in less and developing economies than in the more advanced economies like the US. Some of the leading early adopter countries include South Africa, Kenya, Brazil, Ivory Coast and some EU member countries. Operating out of Canada, SelfBank Mobile has created a platform that gives anyone with a WAP enabled mobile device such a cell phone or PDA the ability to become their own bank and the best part is that the service is free. SelfBank Mobile has dealt a technology card and from the look of it all, it will be played. The question is at what level will you be involved? The question is not whether you will be involved, the question is how. The future clearly is MCommerce and Mobile banking and SelfBank Mobile is providing the frame work for all that to happen.

There are two ways you can get involved. You can just be a user or you can be a user and also a provider. SelfBank Mobile gives you the opportunity to do either or both. Choose wisely. To help you along, there is a sign up bonus that is credited to your account on completion of the sign up process.

One of the major concerns that people have about Mobile banking and Mobile Money is security and you may also be wondering about the same. The issue of safety and data integrity is a valid and important one and is being addressed by the use of enhanced digital security authentication and processing to protect user information and transaction details. Also developers are at work, to find new ways to make Mobile Banking experience safer.

What can you use Self Bank Mobile for

You can you self bank, mobile money to:

send and receive money
buy like you would ordinarily do with your debit card, except you can do that on the go
accept M-Commerce payments
raise fund for your favorite charity or cause
and even to pay your employees.

These are just a few of the things you can do with your Self Bank Mobile

Finally, did you know that "The GSMA forecasts that the 'formal' global remittance market could be grown from around US$230 billion today to over US$1 trillion in five years with the help of mobile services". Think about that!