Orange sees m-payment take-up in Africa

Mobile operator Orange said on Monday that it has reached a total of four million mobile payment customers across its operations in Africa and the Middle East, Telecoms.com reports.

Orange Money, the group's mobile payment service, was first launched in C^ote d'Ivoire, in December 2008, and has since been made available in Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Niger and Senegal.

In the last few weeks, the service has also been launched in Jordan and Mauritius. Eventually, the operator aims to launch the service in all 22 countries in Africa and the Middle East where the group operates.

According to AfriqueJet, the project allows customers to carry out simple banking operations and transactions in total security.

The three key services include money transfers, where users can send money using their phones to any Orange Money customer in the country; financial services, including solutions facilitating savings and insurance (according to the country); and payments, giving users an easier way to pay their bills, as well as providing a simple way to buy mobile phone credit.

"Orange Money plays an important role in driving growth in our activities in emerging markets, allowing us to contribute to the economic and social development of these countries, while improving our customers' loyalty," Mobile Payments Today quotes Marc Rennard, Orange's executive director for EMEA operations, as saying.

Orange Money provides the unbanked with access to basic financial services through their mobile devices. Customers can transfer funds, set up savings accounts and make payments using the services.