The GSMA’s Mobile Money programme is helping mobile money providers to successfully launch and scale interoperable mobile money services through identifying and sharing best practices, guidelines and processes, creating performance benchmarks, and providing regulatory support.
While competition is heating up in markets where mobile money is available, a growing number of mobile operators are showing interest in the development of interoperable solutions. In 2014, operators interconnected their services in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, following in the footsteps of MNOs in Indonesia where interoperability was implemented in 2013.
New developments are expected to be launched in the coming months, as mobile money providers in different markets recognise interoperability as a way to strengthen their value proposition and increase their addressable market.
Today, GSMA is releasing a new publication which sets out operational guidelines for mobile money providers to consider when introducing an interoperable service for their customers. Successful Account-to-Account (A2A) interoperability should bring significant benefits for providers and customers alike, but poor implementation could jeopardise adoption and result in inefficient use of financial resources, inequitable risk sharing among participants, actual financial losses for participants, and a loss of customer confidence in the mobile money service itself.
This publication highlights the key requirements for successful A2A interoperability between mobile money providers, and describes actions that should be taken to realise them. It focuses on:
- Working together for long-term success: This first section covers the level of commitment required from the mobile money providers and the key agreements that need to be in place from the outset between providers so they can work together towards A2A interoperability. It also includes a road map to help guide providers through the process and explores the extent and potential limits of collaboration.
- Guaranteeing basic customer needs: The second section focuses on how different business areas must ensure that customer requirements continue to be met with A2A interoperability. It assumes that basic customers’ needs for the overall mobile money service include reliability, safety and security, convenience and transparency. These needs do not change with the introduction of A2A interoperability, and must continue to be met to ensure customers adopt and use mobile money services.
Finally, the Appendix also contains a practical checklist to be used as a ready reference by those working to develop A2A interoperability between mobile money providers.