Mobile Money Academy, optional pre-conference workshop: Tuesday 04 May 2010

The Mobile Money Academy is a comprehensive series of interactive workshops designed to show how to plan, pilot, launch and maintain a successful MMT project. Each session is led by a facilitator with proven "hands on" experience of mobile money development and deployment.

09:00  Introduction to mobile money

• How mobile money works: the role of each stakeholder - Mobile Network Operators, banks, Microfinance Institutions, Money Transfer Networks, regulators, agent networks, vendors
• Are remittances or mobile microfinance the 'killer app' within the Mobile Financial Services suite? - How they open up mobile payments and mobile banking
• Retail centric enabled mobile commerce - is it the way to go for developing markets?
• Building on the mobile money ecosystem
  Menekse Gencer, Director, mPay Connect Inc.

10:00  Morning coffee and networking

10:30  How to work with the regulators

• Understanding the regulatory environment in your target market(s), and how it affects the viability of alternative business models
• Real life examples from across Africa
• Compliance requirements and implications for your sign up procedure and record keeping
• How to present your business plans to the regulators
• Authentication, customer protection and privacy - impact on personal information

11:30  How to launch a mobile money service

• Defining your entry strategy for new and competitive markets
• Forming partnerships to maximise distribution
• Overcoming regulatory challenges
• Differentiating your product from the competition
• Marketing strategies
• The importance of your agent network
  Aiaze Mitha, Director, Amarante Consulting and former Product Director, M-Paisa

12:30  Networking lunch

13:30  How to build your distribution network

• Understanding the village convenience store - what being a mobile money agent really means for footfall, cash flow and their daily lives
• Where to find, and how to formulate deals with existing retail networks, airtime distributors and product activation agencies
• Due diligence you need to undertake when selecting agents and partners: what goes into the contract
• How your commission structure and business model interact
• How to overcome the real implementation challenges of scaling up your organisation: MNO, bank and 3rd party operator led MMT programmes
• How to make sure you have the right levels of involvement from the right people
  Aleeda Fazal, Managing Director, Paradigm Solutions & Consulting, and former Project Manager, M-PESA and M-Paisa
  Amyn Jivani, Director, Paradigm Solutions & Consulting

14:30  Afternoon coffee and networking

15:00  How to make mobile money work for microfinance

• Why mobile money operators should work with microfinance institutions
• The business case for an MFI or a rural bank to replace their traditional cash model with mobile payments
• Factors for MFIs to consider when selecting their MNO partner - security, tariff structure, trust in brand and scale of agent network
• Preparing for the impact on your back office MIS and culture
• Determining the opportunity cost for the customer - MMT vs. trip to the bank
• Agent and customer education - ensuring your charging structure is clear and understandable for all
• Live examples of mobile microfi nance and customer feedback from Kenya and Tanzania
  Cameron Goldie-Scot, African Implementation Team Manager, Musoni

16:00  End of pre-conference workshops

Programme Day One
Programme Day Two
Post conference site visits