Mobile Money Africa Returns to Johannesburg in May as Industry Focuses on Making Regional Payments Work

Johannesburg, South Africa, March 05, 2014 --(PR.com)-- The sixth annual Mobile Money Africa will gather more than 400 industry leaders to discuss regional and digital payments in what has becoming an increasingly sophisticated marketplace, when the conference and expo returns to Johannesburg from 21-22 May. Brand new Digital Payments content has been added to Africa’s longest-running Mobile Money summit, to form the region’s most inclusive conference for the entire payments ecosystem.

Mobile Money and Digital Payments Africa 2014 brings together the entire spectrum of the industry, with retailers, regulators, banks, MNOs, microfinance institutions, donor agencies and NGOs amongst the senior-level mobile money experts attending this market-leading event.

Interoperability in focus
Event Director Emma Pearce says a main discussion point in the industry currently is interoperability, "which is one of the key factors which will enable sector growth for the mobile payments industry. We are also seeing movements from governments spearheading cashless payments, such as the government of Nigeria. Regulators have the ability, through creating changes in fiscal policy and lifting restrictions in e-money regulations, to contribute significantly to the growth of m-payments across Africa."

She continues: “as the payments ecosystem evolves and strengthens, initiatives increasingly find themselves displaying greater convergence with the digital payments industry as a whole. The integration of digital payments into the agenda reflects the demands of an increasingly sophisticated marketplace, looking beyond the mobile channel into full digital integration for a truly cashless future.”

Different regulatory environments
One of the major challenges for the African payments ecosystem is how to work across disparate regulatory environments. During Mobile Money and Digital Payments Africa, a variety of different stakeholders will come together to discuss moving the ecosystem forward whilst ensuring systems remain compliant with complex regulatory environments. One panel discussion in particular will address ways of overcoming these challenges:

Panel discussion:
“Working across disparate regulatory environments: Strengthening regulatory regimes to promote safe, inclusive growth”
• Moderator: Richard Ketley, Director and Owner, Genesis Analytics
• Kim Dancey, Strategic Legal Advisor, FNB eWallet Solutions
• Chidi Okpala, Director and Head, Airtel Money Africa, Kenya
• Christopher Chibwana, Private Sector Development Specialist, USAID Malawi

More Mobile Money and Digital Payments Africa programme highlights include:
• Defining the business models which will enable mobility to achieve critical mass
Yolande van Wyk, CEO, eWallet Solutions, First National Bank
• Case Study: Expanding the footprint of MTN Money in Rwanda
Ebenezer Asante, CEO, MTN Rwandacell
• Panel discussion: Exploring the future of money
- Vanesha Palani, Head of Channel Management: Nedbank Digital, Nedbank Ltd
- Naveed Ahmed Choudhury, Head of M-Commerce, Citycell
- George Gacheche, Principle Officer M-PESA, Safaricom
- Moussa Thiemoko Dao, Director, Orange Money Botswana

The exhibition will feature the latest technology and services on offer by leading industry providers, including global giant Ericsson, who are gold sponsors; Telepin Software, Wirecard AG and Panamax.

Event dates and location:
20 May: Workshops
21-22 May: Conference and exhibition
Venue: Hyatt Regency Johannesburg, South Africa