The M-PESA service will be offered exclusively to Barclays account holders: at individual level for deposits and withdrawals; and to M-PESA agents who bank with Barclays for the purchase of e-float for their daily operations.
Speaking during the launch event in Nairobi today, Adan Mohamed, Regional Managing Director for Barclays East and West Africa, said the roll-out of M-PESA banking services is in line with the Barclays strategy of widening customer access to financial services through innovative channels.
Mr. Mohamed observed, “Customers are at the heart of everything we do. We are deeply committed to growing our presence in East and West Africa; we therefore continue to respond to and cater for diverse customer segments in terms of channels, products, and services.”
“In addition to meeting the needs of customers even at the lowest income levels, the delivery of financial services through mobile telephony is where the real innovation and development is taking place for the financial services industry,” added Mr. Mohamed.
He noted that the partnership with Safaricom was bolstered by the Barclays Hello Money banking services and Customer Contact Center, which operates 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph said: “This partnership is in tandem with our strategy of stretching M-PESA’s footprint beyond the regular agent outlets. It will also further improve efficiency within the M-PESA service as agents will have more points from which to access the all-important e-money or float which is critical to their day to day operations”
Barclays becomes the 8th bank to partner with Safaricom’s M-PESA service either as an agent or super agent.
“Our collective efforts are geared towards customer satisfaction though we may deploy different channels. Kenyans can only benefit from greater convergence between conventional banking services and the mobility that mobile telephony offers,” said Michael.
M-PESA allows customers to transfer and receive money using their mobile phones.
BRIAN ADERO in Nairobi, Kenya
