Haiti - Telecommunications : Digicel first operator of mobile payment in Haiti - HaitiLibre.com : Haiti news 7/7





iciHaiti - Biden Program : More than 184,000 Haitians have been approved and 90% are in the USA

iciHaiti - Culture : 80th anniversary of the Art Center

iciHaiti - 221st Flag : Message from the Ambassador of Haiti to Spain Guy Lamothe

iciHaiti - CONATEL : World Telecommunications and Information Society Day

iciHaiti - Football : Two friendly meetings at high altitude, for our Grenadières


more news


Haiti - News : Zapping...

Haiti - FLASH : Haitians could become Beninese…

Haiti - FLASH : Barbecue affirms that its men are ready to fight the Mission led by Kenya

Haiti - FLASH : Ekuru Aukot in Kenya, once again tries to block the Mission in Haiti

Haiti - News : Zapping...


more news


Haiti - Telecommunications : Digicel first operator of mobile payment in Haiti
10/01/2011 15:16:10

Haiti - Telecommunications : Digicel first operator of mobile payment in Haiti
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), announced today that Haitian mobile operator Digicel won a $2.5 million award from the Haiti Mobile Money Initiative (HMMI). Digicel was recognized for being the first to launch a mobile money service in Haiti, Tcho Tcho Mobile, that meets the competition’s stringent criteria. This award, presented to Digicel and its partner Scotia Bank at Parc Historique de la Canne à Sucre event in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is the first from HMMI, a $10 million incentive fund to jumpstart the introduction of mobile money for the Haitian people.

The devastating earthquake in January 2010 destroyed one-third of Haiti’s bank branches, further limiting access to financial systems that served only 10 percent of Haiti’s population before the earthquake. The HMMI, a partnership between the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID, was established to help launch mobile money services in Haiti and enable Haitians to send, receive and store money using their mobile phones. It also lays the foundation for advanced banking services that could help millions of Haitians lift themselves out of extreme poverty.

Digicel’s mobile money service enables customers to use their mobile phones to make deposits and withdrawals at retail outlets, and transfer money between Tcho Tcho accounts. In addition to its current services, other mobile banking services will eventually include bill payments, payment for government services and international remittance transfers.

"As we have seen in other places around the world, mobile money can unlock the economic potential for millions of people," said Sylvia Mathews Burwell, president of the Global Development Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "Making mobile money services available to the poorest families in the developing world can be a first step to introducing a broader range of financial services, including savings accounts, helping people build financial security and productive lives."

This is the first award given by HMMI. The second operator to launch a mobile money service within 12 months will receive $1.5 million. Another $6 million will be awarded as the first 5 million transactions take place, divided accordingly among those that contributed to the total number of transactions.

"The launch of mobile money is an encouraging achievement," said USAID Haiti Mission Director Carleene Dei. "The additional $6 million in scaling awards will help mobile money become sustainable in Haiti."

HMMI is funded by $10 million in awards plus additional funds for related activities from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and $5 million in technical and management assistance from USAID. The Haiti Integrated Finance for Value Chains and Enterprise (HIFIVE), a USAID-funded project, manages HMMI. HIFIVE also offers technical and management assistance to improve financial access for the underserved.

See also :
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-1208-haiti-technology-mobile-banking-services.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-1726-haiti-telecommunications-the-mobile-money-service-in-operation-in-haiti.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/article-302-haiti-economie-10-millions-de-dollars-pour-trouver-une-solution.html (in french)

HL/ HaitiLibre

Twitter Facebook Rss
Send news to... Daily news...




Why HaitiLibre ? | Contact us | Français
Copyright © 2010 - 2024
Haitilibre.com