Mobile Financial Services in Developing Countries

Author(s):  
Gordian Stanslaus Bwemelo

This chapter describes how mobile technologies have recently emerged as the new wave in Information Technology revolution and are constantly gaining importance and popularity in nearly every avenue of our working and social lives. One area of mobile technology that has become a focus in recent times is the use of mobile devices particularly the mobile phones for an array of financial services. Mobile financial services and their massive adoption and rapid spread in the developing world, has deepened investments in mobile infrastructure and has further contributed to financial inclusion and economic development. Their adoption, in particular, has had a significant impact on consumer financial behaviour. This chapter builds on a rich body of literature available to highlight the impact of mobile financial services on consumer financial behaviour and the implications for financial institutions.

Author(s):  
Gordian Stanslaus Bwemelo

This chapter describes how mobile technologies have recently emerged as the new wave in Information Technology revolution and are constantly gaining importance and popularity in nearly every avenue of our working and social lives. One area of mobile technology that has become a focus in recent times is the use of mobile devices particularly the mobile phones for an array of financial services. Mobile financial services and their massive adoption and rapid spread in the developing world, has deepened investments in mobile infrastructure and has further contributed to financial inclusion and economic development. Their adoption, in particular, has had a significant impact on consumer financial behaviour. This chapter builds on a rich body of literature available to highlight the impact of mobile financial services on consumer financial behaviour and the implications for financial institutions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (02) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Kamaldeep Kaur Sarna

COVID-19 is aptly stated as a Black Swan event that has stifled the global economy. As coronavirus wreaked havoc, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contracted globally, unemployment rate soared high, and economic recovery still seems a far-fetched dream. Most importantly, the pandemic has set up turbulence in the global financial markets and resulted in heightened risk elements (market risk, credit risk, bank runs etc.) across the globe. Such uncertainty and volatility has not been witnessed since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. The spread of COVID-19 has largely eroded investors’ confidence as the stock markets neared lifetimes lows, bad loans spiked and investment values degraded. Due to this, many turned their backs on the risk-reward trade off and carted their money towards traditionally safer investments like gold. While the banking sector remains particularly vulnerable, central banks have provided extensive loan moratoriums and interest waivers. Overall, COVID-19 resulted in a short term negative impact on the financial markets in India, though it is making a way towards V-shaped recovery. In this context, the present paper attempts to identify and evaluate the impact of the pandemic on the financial markets in India. Relying on rich literature and live illustrations, the influence of COVID-19 is studied on the stock markets, banking and financial institutions, private equities, and debt funds. The paper covers several recommendations so as to bring stability in the financial markets. The suggestions include, but are not limited to, methods to regularly monitor results, establishing a robust mechanism for risk management, strategies to reduce Non-Performing Assets, continuous assessment of stress and crisis readiness of the financial institutions etc. The paper also emphasizes on enhancing the role of technology (Artificial Intelligence and Virtual/Augmented Reality) in the financial services sector to optimize the outcomes and set the path towards recovery.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 168-182
Author(s):  
David Mhlanga ◽  
◽  
Steven Henry Dunga ◽  
Tankiso Moloi ◽  
◽  
...  

The study sought to investigate the impact of financial inclusion on poverty reduction in Zimbabwe among the smallholder farmers. It is alleged that financial inclusion can help in achieving seven of the seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs), which include poverty eradication in all its forms everywhere, ending hunger, achieving food security, ensuring improved nutrition as well as promoting sustainable agriculture and many others. Using the simple regression method, the study discovered that financial inclusion has a strong impact on poverty reduction among smallholder farmers. The study went on to discover that, for the government to tackle poverty especially among the smallholder farmers, it is important to ensure that farmers do participate in the financial sector through saving, borrowing and taking out insurance among other services. So, it is important for the government of Zimbabwe to fully implement policies that encourage financial inclusion such as making sure that farmers find it easy to access financial institutions and encouraging financial institutions to review transaction costs like bank account opening charges periodically, implementing financial education programs among the farmers because these variables are important in influencing farmers to participate or preventing them from using financial services.


Author(s):  
Azmuddin Razali ◽  
Mohammad Amir Wan Harun

This study examined the implementation of moratorium in the Islamic hire purchase financing based on Al-Ijarah Thumma Al-Bay’ (AITAB) from the Shariah perspective. The implementation of moratorium by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) is a new practice in the banking and finance industry in Malaysia. Implementing the moratorium causes several changes to the AITAB contract such as the extension in contract tenure and the increase in the total payment obligation due to the profit charged on the outstanding principal. This study analysed these changes from the Shariah perspective by using the al-takyif al-fiqhi methodology. The results of the analysis confirm the practice of moratorium by IFIs is in line with the Shariah requirements as long as it is agreed by the parties to the contract - which are the bank and the customer. Needless to say, both Ijarah Policy Document and Hire Purchase Act 1967 allow any forms of amendments including profit compounding when the AITAB contract is restructured, provided that such amendments are agreed between the contracting parties. Despite this permissibility, IFIs are still required to comply with the new ruling issued by SAC BNM that prohibits the practice of profit compounding during the COVID-19 crisis. Although, in principle, the ruling is based on the concept of ihsan (beneficence) which is not compulsory (wajib) but rather recommendation (istihbab) from the Shariah perspective; however, from the regulatory perspective the ruling is compulsory for IFIs to comply pursuant to section 28(1) and 28(2) of Islamic Financial Services Act 2013 (IFSA) that stated compliance with Shariah means compliance with any ruling of the Shariah Advisory Council. The moratorium is seen as a manifestation of the concept of ihsan (beneficence) towards the customers affected financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This commendable effort should be encouraged and continued by the Islamic financial institutions in upholding the Shariah principle of maslahah and lifting of difficulties (raf al-haraj), particularly in the current outbreak of COVID-19 and the impact of MCO.


Author(s):  
I. Blahun

The article presents a modern view of understanding of "financial market" concept, as the development of financial technologies gradually influences the change of paradigm of its functioning, new financial institutions, institutions of market infrastructure, financial instruments are emerging, as well as the development of forms of alternative financing. On the base of the systematization, it is determined that the term "financial market" in the current scientific literature is considered from three positions, first as a mechanism of distribution of financial resources, secondly, as a system of economic relations, and thirdly as a set of markets and institutions. As a result of the research on the contrary to the popular opinion that the financial services market and the financial market are two separate markets, it has been substantiated that the financial services market is a part of the financial market, because financial instruments are formed through the provision of financial services. The financial market and the market of financial services have common subjects - financial intermediaries (banks, insurance companies, non-government pension funds, investment funds, etc.), but at the same time the objects of these two markets are different. Financial instruments are objects for financial markets, and services – for the market of financial services. Through the process of financial services providing, financial intermediaries ensure the fulfilment of the basic function of the financial market, which is the redistribution of financial resources in the economy, thereby creating financial assets, liabilities, etc., which is the basis for the formation of financial instruments. Taking into account of the impact of fintech on the development of the financial market, author's definition was presented in this work as a system of financial institutions (market subjects), which create the conditions for transactions with financial instruments of economic agents (market objects) using appropriate infrastructure and financial technologies. Transfer of flows of financial resources in the economy at national, subnational and global levels, adequate assess of financial risks and ability to absorb exogenous and endogenous shocks were determined as a purpose of the functioning of the financial market. Keywords: fintech, financial instruments, financial institutions, financial services market, financial system, financial services..


TEME ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 899
Author(s):  
Mirjana Jemović ◽  
Borko Krstić

Stable and efficient functioning of financial institutions, especially banking institutions, requires the existence of an adequate regulatory framework. The differences in the character and functioning of financial institutions caused differences in the regulatory approaches for maintaining stability and efficiency, whereby one should bear in mind that even within a concrete financial system, the regulatory framework evolves in order to be able to respond to new trends in the financial services sector. A growing homogenization of activities and a less noticeable difference among financial institutions caused the financial safety net to expand to non-bank financial institutions in order to maintain financial stability. The aim of this paper is to consider the justification and implications of such an expansion. Considering the fact that financial safety net „expansion“ stimulates riskier behaviour of protected institutions, this paper offers suggestions for dealing with this problem in order to reduce it as much as possible. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (229) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  

Fintech developments hold the promise of having a far-reaching impact on the Singaporean financial services sector, bringing both opportunities and new risks. Technological innovation is one of the most influential developments affecting the financial sector. While fintech promises opportunities for new entrants and incumbents, innovation and change introduce new risks for clients, financial institutions (FIs) and the system. Early indications suggest that while a significant amount of activity has taken place across the financial services landscape, the impact is largely characterized as helping incumbents deliver financial services in a more efficient manner as opposed to disrupting existing business models. Nonetheless, disruption could be around the corner.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Yilmaz Bayar ◽  
Marius Dan Gavriletea ◽  
Dragoş Păun

Poverty alleviation has become one of the biggest challenges for many countries and access to financial services is considered to be a key driver of development and economic growth. Finding solutions that can break down barriers that poor people are facing to access formal financial services has become a major concern for researchers, governments, financial institutions. Financial services must reinvent themselves and the adoption of new technology is a crucial key to overhaul their operations and to find innovative solutions to manage customer expectations. The escalation in access and penetration level of mobile phones and the Internet can improve financial inclusion by facilitating easy access to financial services, by providing secure transaction platforms, by reducing transaction costs, by providing a competitive business framework. There has been relatively limited research on the impact of Internet and mobile phones use on financial inclusion, therefore our main purpose was to investigate this linkage in a sample of 11 post-communist countries of the European Union from 1996–2017 using panel cointegration and causality analyses. Firstly, we investigated whether mobile cellular phone subscriptions and the rate of Internet usage affect financial institutions’ access; secondly, we analysed the impact of these variables on financial market access. Results indicate that mobile cellular phone subscriptions positively affect both financial institution access in countries like Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovenia and financial market access in Bulgaria, Croatia, and Hungary. Also, a negative relationship between mobile cellular phone subscriptions and financial institution access was noticed in the Czech Republic and regarding financial market access in the Czech Republic and Poland. Our findings also indicate both positive and negative relationships between Internet usage rates and financial institutions and financial markets access. By increasing Internet usage we can improve access to financial institutions in Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland and we can increase financial markets access in Latvia and Slovenia.


2021 ◽  
pp. 221-247
Author(s):  
Jakkie Cilliers

AbstractTechnological innovation and the notion of leapfrogging are imperative to Africa’s future and will shape development on the continent in ways that are difficult to anticipate. However, the impact of the shale and tight oil revolution in the USA demonstrates the potential of new technologies to leapfrog aspects of traditional development. This is most likely in the renewable energy space provided the challenges associated with energy storage can be overcome. Already the uptake of mobile phones and the internet have brought financial services to millions and mobile telephony is at the forefront of social change in Africa. Building on the example of what is happening in Ghana that was explored in Chapter 10.1007/978-3-030-46590-2_9, this chapter models the impact of a Leapfrogging scenario.


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