In 2014, we launched our open-access repository which offers full text access to conference proceedings from many of our events including the INC and HAISA series. These papers are free to access and distribute (subject to citing the source).
» Openaccess proceedings » Ninth International Network Conference (INC 2012)
Ninth International Network Conference (INC 2012) |
Title: Mobile Banking Services in South Africa: The case of M-Pesa
Author(s): Salah Kabanda, Andrea Downes, Steven Baltazar dos Ramos
Reference: pp149-158
Keywords: Developing countries, mobile banking, M-Pesa
Abstract: Mobile banking systems have revolutionised business transactions in developing countries by paving the way for the conduct of electronic commerce transactions via mobiles. As a result, people in developing countries can now participate and partake in the global digital exchange which they were previously denied due to the digital divide. An example of a mobile banking technology that has been very successful in most parts of Africa and used for sending and storing money is M-Pesa. This study investigates the M-Pesa phenomena, amongst the rural township communities in the Western Cape of South Africa with the purpose of understanding the perceptions of the township community towards mobile payments - specifically M-Pesa. The results indicate that although M-Pesa services have shown to be easier to use and less riskier than traditional means of financial transacting; to ensure M-Pesa success, there is a need for (i) an aggressive continuous awareness programs necessary to publicise the service; and (ii) additional functionalities to allow customer retention and use of the service given the presence of competitors service such as money market transfer systems. To arrive at these findings, the study followed an interpretive approach in which in-depth interviews were conducted.
Download count: 1644
How to get this paper:
PDF copy of this paper is free to download. You may distribute this copy providing you cite this page as the source.