The FNB eWallet and Africa
FNB’s eWallet is showing strong growth in its African operations with a 119% year-on-year increase in the last financial year. It has also maintained its growth trajectory in South Africa with the total number of eWallets in all countries reaching 2.5 million, an 84% increase on the previous financial year.
“The success of eWallet in South Africa as well as our African operations has proven that there is a pervasive need to send money easily and instantly through a network agnostic mobile money solution,” says Yolande van Wyk, CEO of eWallet Solutions at FNB. “Over the last financial year alone, over R3.2 billion has been sent into eWallets across countries in which the service has been launched. These countries include South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho and Zambia.”
Outside of South Africa two countries in particular have shown very high customer acceptance and take-up. Both Namibia and Botswana’s growth has exceeded expectations with approximately 17% of citizens in Botswana and, in less than a year, over 5% of the population in Namibia receiving money into an eWallet.
“The growth of eWallet in the African subsidiaries has been a lesson in how local conditions effect how people adopt and use a service. We have noticed that Botswana and Namibia’s low population density contributes to the take-up. With a population density of less than four people per square kilometer in both these countries, there is clearly a need to send money across a distance, and eWallet has fulfilled this need,” says van Wyk.
In South Africa there are no discernible corridors as eWallet users tend to send money within a region or province, with Gauteng being the predominant province from which people are sending and receiving money. In Namibia four of these dominant regions have been identified, namely the Khomas, Oshana, Erongo and Otjozondjupa Region. In Botswana, sends mostly originate from the South East Region of Botswana, home to the country’s capital Gaborone.
“Outside of Namibia and Botswana we are still building the eWallet business. Some of our countries such as Zambia and Lesotho are relatively young, and we believe that eWallet will support the growth of the bank in those countries. Also with the expansion of our ATM network, as well as new technologies such as the Slimline* ATMs, we have the potential to grow the eWallet business even further across all countries,” concludes van Wyk.
Interesting Notes:
According to the Mobility 2012 report – World Wide Worx, 51% of the mobile money users in South Africa were FNB eWallet users.
Mobile money involves the use of a cellphone to transfer funds between people and bank accounts, to deposit or withdraw money, to pay bills or to buy services such as airtime and electricity.
(Source - FNB)
BlackBerry 9720 Smartphone in blue now Available in South Africa
The super social BlackBerry® 9720 smartphone in blue is now available to customers in South Africa.*
Designed for a premium look in a striking shade of blue and packed with all of your favourite social apps, the BlackBerry 9720 smartphone is a stylish upgrade for anyone who wants to take their social conversations to the next level.
The BlackBerry 9720 smartphone features a spacious BlackBerry® Keyboard with distinct keys for optimal typing, a 2.8” touchscreen and trackpad for easy navigation. It also offers generous battery life, and numerous enhancements including:
- Blackberry 7 OS
- BBM
- FM Radio
For more information about the BlackBerry 9720, visit: http://za.blackberry.com/
(Source - Blackberry)
Samsung Showcases First Ever Digital Village
At a recent event in South Africa, Samsung showcased their first ever Digital Village.
Solutions that use renewable and environmentally friendly resources (solar) to improve the lives of Africa's inhabitants.
The Village includes:
- Solar Powered Internet Schools
- Solar Power Generator
- Solar Power Health Centre
- Telemedical centre
- LED lighting
For info vist www.samsung.com
(Source - Samsung)
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