Last night Bluechain celebrated the company’s formal launch into Kenya with a reception hosted in conjunction with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) during the Seamless East Africa 2017 Financial Inclusion Summit at the Radisson Blu in Nairobi. The celebration formally marked the opening of Bluechain’s first African office and subsidiary in Nairobi, Kenya. It was hosted together with…
You might not be familiar with the term, but “financial inclusion” is an important issue in emerging and developing economies. And that’s because many governments have identified it as one of the key enablers for sustainable economic growth. When too much business activity is conducted informally, outside traditional financial systems, governments lack the controls they need to effectively manage their…
If you plan to attend the Financial Inclusion Conference or Seamless East Africa, please be sure to check out Bluechain’s sessions at both of these events. Bluechain’s Managing Director Africa, Yoku Korshah, will be discussing a range of issues that are impacting East African financial institutions, from financial inclusion to merchant acquisition strategies. Korsah will draw from his deep domain…
Financial inclusion has been a major challenge for developing economies for many years. The reason it is such a hot topic, especially in Africa, is that many governments have identified it as one of the key enablers for sustainable economic growth. When too much business activity is conducted informally, outside traditional financial systems, governments lack the controls they need to…
The global payments paradigm is changing. Worldwide, the dominant international card schemes battle against ever-increasing fraud, exposing their underwhelming response to the emergence of card-not present transactions. In the developing world, banks are looking to mobile technologies to capture payments by the unbanked and remove reliance on cash. And in the first world, disruptors are carving out pieces of the…
If you plan to attend the Central Bank Payments Conference in Amsterdam 26–28 June 2017, be sure to connect with us for a preview of our new domestic payment platform and discover how it fosters cash-lite and inclusive economies, provides greater control over data sovereignty, reduces fraud, and lowers costs. Our Managing Director of Africa, Yoku Korsah will be coordinating…
Mobile wallets or e-wallets first appeared on the digital payments scene more than two years ago from major players Apple Pay and Android Pay, with Samsung Pay entering the market soon after. On 15 March 2017, Karen Webster, CEO of PYMNTS.com presented statistics for mobile wallet adoption and usage, which can be found at http://www.pymnts.com/mobile-wallet-adoption-2017/. So, what does the data…
On Friday 30 March 2017, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced that the country’s largest banks cannot collectively bargain with Apple over access to near field communication (NFC) technology on the iPhone, which would allow the banks to compete with Apple Pay. Rather than enhancing competition, this decision limits Australian consumers and impairs the banks’ profit margins as they…
Today’s mobile phones and smart phones are so much more than just a telephone. They serve as televisions, browsers, in-boxes and digital wallets. Instead of paying with cash, cheque, or credit cards, today’s consumers can use a mobile or smart phone to pay for a wide range of services and goods. While mobile payments have been slow to catch-on in…
I recently attended the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. This conference provides attendees with an in-depth analysis of the topics and trends that are shaping the mobile industry in 2017. It also provides the opportunity for the giants and dwarves of the industry to showcase their latest innovations. In past years, there has been a strong focus on infrastructure, with…