𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰’s Post

Safaricom Ethiopia Decries ‘Unfair Competition’ Top executives of Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC Ethiopia told Ethiopian law makers over a week ago that they were unhappy about ‘monopolistic’ practices of their competitor, ethio telecom; requesting the government to equalize access to open platforms. According to an The Reporter, executives of the Kenya-affiliated telco lamented that Ethio telecom users experienced higher tariffs and extra costs when making phone calls to subscribers of the Safaricom network. This is in contrast to Safaricom’s fixed charge for all networks, a reality that makes it immensely harder for new customers to onboard their network. The CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia, Wim Vanhelleputte, also raised concerns about Ethio telecom #monopolisation of the telecommunications networks and advocated for equal access for al market players. “We want the country to benefit and to grow digital connectivity and financial inclusion; those are priorities for the country as a whole,” Vanhelleputte said. “We are asking if there is an opportunity to get both networks to give equal access to the customer so that they can use both networks and not get excluded from calling our network,” the CEO added. During the visit at the Safaricom’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, the law makers aligned to the Parliamentary Committee of Democracy Affairs were also requested to expedite inter-platform money transfer between M-Pesa and Ethio telecom ‘telebirr’. The executives said that the lack of interoperability between the financial platforms made it difficult to scale up digital financial inclusion in a country seeking to liberalize its economy. Safaricom itself reportedly pays #taxes using telebirr as opposed to M-Pesa, an issue that the telco wants resolved. “Monopoly is a contradiction to liberalization. We have 32 banks; we have multiple fintech financial institutions; all of them should be able to offer digital payments. So we ask policymakers if we really want to accelerate digital Ethiopia, we should try to gate all the financial institutions to give them equal access to offer digital payments,” Vanhelleputte said. The lawmakers promised to relay these prevailing concerns to the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE). Ethiopia’s Ministry of Transport is set to allow its citizens to pay for fuel using mobile money platforms including M-Pesa. https://lnkd.in/eEkDSpsf

Top executives of Safaricom Ethiopia told Ethiopian law makers over a week ago that they were unhappy about ‘monopolistic’ practices of their competitor, Ethio Telecom; requesting the government to equalize access to open platforms. According to an The Reporter, executives of the Kenya-affiliated telco lamented that Ethio Telecom users experienced higher tariffs and extra costs when making phone calls to subscribers of the Safaricom network. This is in contrast to Safaricom’s fixed charge for all networks, a reality that makes it immensely harder for new customers to onboard their network. The CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia, Wim Vanhelleputte, also raised concerns about Ethio Telecom’s monopolisation of the telecommunications networks and advocated for equal access for al market players. “We want the country to benefit and to grow digital connectivity and financial inclusion; those are priorities for the country as a whole,” Vanhelleputte said. “We are asking if there is an opportunity to get both networks to give equal access to the customer so that they can use both networks and not get excluded from calling our network,” the CEO added. During the visit at the Safaricom’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, the law makers aligned to the Parliamentary Committee of Democracy Affairs were also requested to expedite inter-platform money transfer between M-Pesa and Ethio Telecom’s ‘Telebirr’. The executives said that the lack of interoperability between the financial platforms made it difficult to scale up digital financial inclusion in a country seeking to liberalize its economy. Safaricom itself reportedly pays taxes using Telebirr as opposed to M-Pesa, an issue that the telco wants resolved. “Monopoly is a contradiction to liberalization. We have 32 banks; we have multiple fintech financial institutions; all of them should be able to offer digital payments. So we ask policymakers if we really want to accelerate digital Ethiopia, we should try to gate all the financial institutions to give them equal access to offer digital payments,” Vanhelleputte said.

Top executives of Safaricom Ethiopia told Ethiopian law makers over a week ago that they were unhappy about ‘monopolistic’ practices of their competitor, Ethio Telecom; requesting the government to equalize access to open platforms. According to an The Reporter, executives of the Kenya-affiliated telco lamented that Ethio Telecom users experienced higher tariffs and extra costs when making phone calls to subscribers of the Safaricom network. This is in contrast to Safaricom’s fixed charge for all networks, a reality that makes it immensely harder for new customers to onboard their network. The CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia, Wim Vanhelleputte, also raised concerns about Ethio Telecom’s monopolisation of the telecommunications networks and advocated for equal access for al market players. “We want the country to benefit and to grow digital connectivity and financial inclusion; those are priorities for the country as a whole,” Vanhelleputte said. “We are asking if there is an opportunity to get both networks to give equal access to the customer so that they can use both networks and not get excluded from calling our network,” the CEO added. During the visit at the Safaricom’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, the law makers aligned to the Parliamentary Committee of Democracy Affairs were also requested to expedite inter-platform money transfer between M-Pesa and Ethio Telecom’s ‘Telebirr’. The executives said that the lack of interoperability between the financial platforms made it difficult to scale up digital financial inclusion in a country seeking to liberalize its economy. Safaricom itself reportedly pays taxes using Telebirr as opposed to M-Pesa, an issue that the telco wants resolved. “Monopoly is a contradiction to liberalization. We have 32 banks; we have multiple fintech financial institutions; all of them should be able to offer digital payments. So we ask policymakers if we really want to accelerate digital Ethiopia, we should try to gate all the financial institutions to give them equal access to offer digital payments,” Vanhelleputte said.

📰 Payment news: Montenegro to join SEPA in January 2025! Exciting news for Montenegro as the country prepares to enter the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) by January 2025. This step will allow for seamless and efficient cross-border euro payments, benefiting citizens and businesses alike. With 36 participating countries, SEPA streamlines transactions across Europe, making them as easy as domestic transfers. Joining SEPA aligns Montenegro with EU financial standards, marking a significant move towards greater European integration and economic development. 🌍💶 As stated by Gert Jan Koopman, Director-General of Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), this milestone demonstrates Montenegro’s progress towards closer ties with the European Union. Detailed: https://lnkd.in/eh7XC_5h 💼 KEYtec, a Swiss provider of payment services, already facilitates transactions through both SEPA and SWIFT, offering fast and reliable payment solutions across Europe and beyond for corporate customers. #Montenegro #SEPA #SWIFT #EUIntegration #Finance #Economy #DigitalPayments #KEYtec

To help micro and small enterprises to successfully adopt digital payments, government strategies should address key barriers. Discover five essential steps for promoting MSEs’ economic empowerment and inclusion through digital payment initiatives. Read the study from ODI Global and Visa: https://lnkd.in/eZdxEhZN #Government #MSE #Economy #DigitalPayments #Visa