Our 24th Community Meeting was one of our most successful ever. From March 25-28, 2024, 268 members from 31 countries gathered in Nairobi, Kenya to share the latest exciting developments in financial inclusion and discuss the best way forward for Mojaloop.

Because there were over two dozen presentations, we can’t summarize them all here. Instead, we’ve chosen three highlights. If you weren’t able to attend, we encourage you to browse the entire playlist.

You can find the videos from all the sessions here >

Keynote 2

Presented by Michael Eganza, director, banking & payment services, Central Bank of Kenya

Watch the video presentation >

Michael offered an overview of the present state of Kenya’s payments landscape, shedding light on the hurdles confronting central banks. Additionally, he pinpointed avenues for system integrators and hub operators to capitalize on within the realm of digital payments.

Kenya has made great strides in financial inclusion in the past couple of decades. As of 2021, 83.7% of Kenyans have access to some form of electronic finance, even if it’s through a mobile money provider. The pace of progress is exciting when you consider that the number was only 26.7% in 2006.

While the focus has traditionally been on expanding access to financial services, attention is now shifting towards improving overall financial health. For instance, insurance penetration in Kenya currently stands at around 3%, indicating significant room for growth in this area.

Future priorities for the Kenyan central bank include:

  • Achieving full-scale interoperability.
  • Reviewing the existing legal and regulatory framework.
  • Continuing to explore the viability of new forms of digital money, like CBDCs.
  • Integration of regional and pan-African payments through the harmonization of regulatory frameworks and infrastructure as trade continues to integrate.
  • Progressing towards a 24/7 economy for clearing and settlement.
  • Fostering customer-centric innovation while mitigating risks.

Panel on Gender and Financial Inclusion

Featuring:

  • Lilian Tan, senior program officer, women’s economic empowerment & financial inclusion, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Sabine Mensah, deputy CEO of AfricaNenda
  • Paula Hunter (moderator), executive director of the Mojaloop Foundation

Watch the video presentation >

During this session, Sabine, Lilian, and Paula delved into the distinct challenges experienced by marginalized women, exploring key factors for digital financial system designers to consider in order to enhance their support. Throughout the conversation, there was a consistent emphasis on the necessity for regulators to require financial service providers to collect and report gender-disaggregated data. This is crucial for gaining insight into the extent and scope of gender disparities within financial services.

Some gender disparities discussed include that 69% of women in Sub-Saharan Africa have access to a phone, as opposed to 82% of men, according to the GSMA. Further, 29% of women have access to the internet vs 49% of men. In low-income countries, women also face barriers like fewer assets to use as collateral, which impacts access to formal credit. In some countries, there is less access to work outside the home. There are seven countries in Africa in which married women cannot get a job without the authorization of a man. There are five countries in which a woman needs a man to co-sign a new bank account.

Tools for the marketplace include:

Mojaloop Zambia Accelerator Demos

Presented by:

  • Desire Kachenje, Mojaloop Foundation
  • Philip Green, Mojaloop Foundation
  • Ackim Chisha, Izyane Inovsolutions Ltd.
  • Thom Simbeye, Izyane Inovsolutions Ltd.
  • Luis Roy Zulu, Probase Limited.
  • Austin Thope, iMoSyS Ltd.
  • Gehazi Jenda, iMoSyS Ltd.
  • James Simbi, Sparc Systems
  • Peter Makasa, NetOne

Watch the video presentation >

This session featured five demos that were all built in two months by system integrators in Zambia and Malawi. Together, they prove that there’s no need for central banks to go to large international firms for developing instant payment systems and other components of their financial infrastructure.

All of the presenters were part of the Mojaloop Accelerator Program, which pairs experienced system integrators with ones who know less about our platform. They expressed their gratitude to Infitx, WiredIn, ThitsaWorks and the Mojaloop Community’s Merchant Payment Workstream for their help.

Demo One: In-store Merchant Payments Using Request to Pay

Izyane created a system in which customer support can place an order on a customer’s behalf, and the customer gets a push notification to confirm and pay for the purchase.

Demo Two: Person-to-person Payments with SmartPay

Probase demonstrated an existing core banking system (SmartPay) linked to Mojaloop to make payments. Businesses could use the system to do bulk transfers to pay employees and different types of taxes with one system, and individuals could use it for transactions like paying utility bills and digital transfers.

Demo Three: Alias Registration to Support G2P Use Cases

Sparc Systems showcased their beneficiary registration portal (BRP), which was integrated with MOSIP and Mojaloop to enable the seamless association of accounts for government to person (G2P) transactions.

Demo Four: In-person Customer-Initiated Merchant Payments Using a QR Code

IMoSys walked the audience through a demonstration of their system, which begins with a merchant generating a QR code for an order, which is then scanned by the user to start the payment process.

Demo Five: Bulk Disbursements to a Mobile Wallet or Bank Account

NetOne’s demo featured three user types: a maker, a checker, and an approver, each with unique IDs for security. Their system can upload a CSV with the users, amounts and mobile or bank numbers.

Be Sure to Attend Our Next Convenings

Our next community meeting will be completely online and will take place July 8-12, 2024. The next in-person meeting will be in the fall of 2024. Be sure to keep your eye on our LinkedIn, Facebook, or X/Twitter feeds for announcements about specifics, or you can bookmark our Events page.

The Mojaloop community needs skilled developers, project managers, regulatory experts, and members of the fintech community. If you’re interested in becoming part of the Mojaloop Community, you can learn about all the ways to participate on our Community page.