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The new EcoCash app looks much better than its ancestor but bugs sully experience on launch day
So, EcoCash finally updated its mobile app. Or rather they replaced it with a better app. The new app was launched today and is available on the App Store, Google Play Store and Huawei App Gallery. The old one was too long in the tooth and felt like something from the 90s and thankfully, we […]
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The separation could be over soon – Econet to absorb EcoCash but Steward to stand alone
It has been five years since EcoCash was spun off to be its own company, complete with a separate stock exchange listing. It was spun off but control remained with the same ‘persons’. These persons now want EcoCash back in the fold. Econet announcement Here is a paraphrase of Econet’s announcement: Econet and EcoCash, being […]
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EcoCash, stop prompting people to check their USD balances and charging them 10c when they do
Imagine this: you’re sitting at your desk at work, half concentrating on the job at hand as your mind is preoccupied by the lack of zeros in your bank account. Your account with the National Mattress Bank is overdrawn and non-stop reminders from creditors have led you to temporarily uninstall WhatsApp. As this is going […]
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Econet, EcoCash looking to raise US$30.3 million each to pay back debt, hence the rights offers
A couple of years ago Econet Wireless and EcoCash Holdings called for an early redemption of debentures. That may sound like Greek to some but you can get the explainer here: Econet Wireless Zimbabwe calls for early redemption of debentures. In short and in English, Econet/EcoCash owed US$73 million (debentures+interest) which had to be paid […]
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EcoCash USD debit card 2.0. It does online payments now
This seems like the trend with EcoCash. First, offer USD accounts. Then add some Virtual Card Numbers for online payments and drop a cherry on top with the physical debit card. You can get one from any Econet shop and be sure not to forget the US$5 for the card. If you are feeling a […]
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EcoCash partners US company to offer another avenue to send funds to Zimbabwe through
It’s been in the news but it’s not really new. However, if we all missed it when it happened then we might as well talk about it today. EcoCash partnered with Remitly, a US financial services provider. Remitly is all about remittances as their name suggests. So, when EcoCash partnered with them it was to […]
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[Update] Zim has dollarised and cash is king in USD world, EcoCash sees it too
When you walk down the streets it appears as if Zimbabwe has dollarised. Join a supermarket queue and you find that many, if not most, have their USD cash in hand. It’s all anecdotal but it does look like it. That’s the thing with using USD, almost all USD transactions are in cash, especially when […]
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Ecocash is the latest to drop USD transaction charges from 7% to 5% after tax
Last year the Zimbabwe government got a little greedy and decided to increase tax on domestic USD transfers from 2% to 4%. It was a bad idea and it took only about 6 months for them to revert back to 2%. When they announced this tax cut we all worried it was too little too […]
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EcoCash service is down
In Zimbabwe, it’s tough to tell whether or not a service is facing an outage or it’s just another day at the office with Network challenges. However, the EcoCash service is currently facing some challenges and is giving out an error “External Application down” even when dialing *151#. EcoCash Holdings issued out a statement saying: […]
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Above 18% of “early adopters” using EcoCash USD wallet, much higher than we expected
Last month Techzim conducted a survey to determine the level and form of usage of the EcoCash USD wallet. The survey was shared mostly with the Techzim community on WhatsApp and social media as well as communities around Techzim related platforms: Pindula and Soccer 24. The response to the survey was quite high at 441 […]
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EcoCash Holdings results: mobile money business struggled but Steward Bank picked up the slack
There are bands that have names like Afrika Revenge, U2 etc. Then there are bands that go with the lead singer’s name e.g. Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited. This second type of band name looks to capitalise on the fame of the frontman who made a name before assembling the band. Then there are […]
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EcoCash has lost 3.1 million customers since 2020, what or who is to blame?
In Zimbabwe Coke refers either to all fizzy drinks or just to a particular soft drink. The same goes for EcoCash and mobile money. There is competition in the mobile money sector but for most, EcoCash is synonymous with mobile money. We are all aware that that dominance ended up being a curse for EcoCash. […]
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EcoCash Junior wallet for 9-18 year olds is excellent, it was long overdue
If you are a parent or a guardian you are going to love EcoCash’s new product. EcoCash launched the EcoCash Junior wallet today. This new product is aimed towards children aged 9-18. But worry not, as a guardian you will have control over the wallet. The thinking behind the Junior wallet is that parents give […]
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EcoCash FCA now cheaper to use, no more cash in/cash out taxes
The domestic remittance playing field has been leveled. The regulations that only applied to EcoCash have been repealed. Earlier this week we talked about how crazy it was that only EcoCash had to collect 4% tax on cash-ins and cash-outs. The bizarre scenario meant we were paying close to 12% of the transaction amount to […]
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If you’re sending USD don’t cash into EcoCash, use the vouchers instead
EcoCash has been in the domestic remittance game for a while now. In the service’s over a decade life, competition has never been stiffer. What was once the no-brainer choice is now just one of many options. The regulators saw to that. As we speak, using EcoCash in the way we used to is not […]
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EcoCash transaction limits revised upwards, still low
You know the drill. Inflation is roaring and prices appear to be changing every day. Couple that with transaction limits on our preferred payment platforms and you can find yourself unable to pay for stuff, even when you have the money. Yesterday, it was Zipit raising its limits, today it is EcoCash’s turn. EcoCash has […]
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New EcoCash Assistant on WhatsApp allows you to transact and resolve common issues, simple but could be great
We have had EcoCash for what seems like an eternity now. As it has matured we have come to expect less and less in the way of innovations. That’s exactly what we expect to see when it comes to services and products we have been using for over a decade. We are so used to […]
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EcoCash automatic bill payments, they have finally done something really cool
Zimbabwe’s biggest mobile money service EcoCash has introduced a Bill Manager, a new service that it says will bring more convenience for its users and simplifies how EcoCash customers manage their bill payments to different service providers, directly from their phones. EcoCash has brought about a number of things over the years that have been […]
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You can now receive PayPal transfers directly into an EcoCash USD wallet
EcoCash has announced that it has partnered with PayPal for users in Zimbabwe to receive international remittances through its existing partnership with global cross-border remittance giant Thunes. “Leveraging our Hub partnership with Thunes, we are excited to add Xoom, a PayPal money transfer service, to our growing number of remittance partners to Zimbabwe,” . EcoCash […]
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EcoCash makes it easier to ask for money from friends and family, markets it terribly
We have all been there, you are a little short on money and need someone to bail you out. It’s a little awkward when you have to ask someone for a handout but what can you do when the need arises? So, you shoot your benefactor a text message or a quick call. Or if […]
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EcoCash physical Mastercard is back (again) & it still can’t do online payments
A couple of months ago EcoCash announced that it was entering the domestic remittance game as well as pushing the company’s FCA wallet. This was quite a surprise because the prevailing assumption was that EcoCash was in some sort of conflict with the regulators. However, as it turned out, this was not the case as […]
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EcoCash upgrades security, enhancing customer data protection & privacy
EcoCash, Zimbabwe’s leading mobile money platform, has introduced additional security enhancements to its platform to beef up customer data privacy and strengthen the system’s security. The measures announced by the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Munyaradzi Nhamo today, include protecting the customer’s identity by ensuring that when making merchant payments in shops or paying bills at […]
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EcoCash says service is back up after hours-long outage.
Mobile Money Operator, EcoCash Zimbabwe which went down this morning has announced on its Twitter page that the service is back up and running. EcoCash post on social media reads as follows. Dear Valued Customer We are happy to advise that all EcoCash services are fully restored and are working normally. You can now Do […]
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EcoCash is down
Zimbabwe’s biggest mobile money operator, EcoCash is experiencing some technical challenges this morning as Twitter is awash with customers saying they can’t perform transactions, all the way to being unable to access EcoCash via its *151# USSD. “Our sincere apologies for the unfortunate experience. Kindly note that the EcoCash platform is currently down, our technical […]
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EcoCash FCA wallet cash-in RETURNS. Is the informal market going to jump on?
Last night EcoCash Zimbabwe launched its domestic remittance service and at the same event, the country’s largest mobile money operator also announced that Cash in services are back through its FCA Wallet that will operate from the brand new *153# USSD (and mobile app). This development looks to be in line with the near as […]
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EcoCash enters USD money transfers with a domestic remittance service
It was just a matter of time, wasn’t it? With domestic remittance services launching left right and centre, EcoCash was the last marquee name that wasn’t in the mix. Which was, until last night, a little surprising… The remittance game in Zimbabwe is one of the most sought after because the figures for incoming funds […]
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EcoCash Foreign Currency Account wallet cash-in service still suspended. Customer service staff confused
EcoCash allows users to have both a Zimdollar and a foreign currency wallet using the same phone number. So, if you have an EcoCash account, you already have the foreign currency account (FCA). For now only two foreign currency accounts are available, the Rand account and the USD account. They work just like the Zimdollar […]
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Zimbos were creating money on EcoCash, OneMoney and telecash using blockchain tech – RBZ governor. And more revelations
The RBZ governor, Dr John Panonetsa Mangudya sat down for an interview with Trevor Ncube. We talked about what was said in the first part of the interview here. Now, we continue with the story and get to the meat of the interview, in my opinion. I feel I must warn you that if you […]
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EcoCash services have been up and down all morning
Zimbabwe’s largest mobile money operator EcoCash has been experiencing some difficulties with its services this morning. From what we have seen on social media, EcoCash customers have been facing difficulties with getting into the *151# USSD, making payments and other transactions. Good morning @Tafidhos. We sincerely regret the unpleasant experience. Please note our EcoCash services […]
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Ecocash Holdings Zimbabwe & Comviva win Silver in 2 categories at Emerging Payments Awards
Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe, trading as EcoCash Holdings Zimbabwe Limited, together with its long-term technology partner Comviva, has won two silver awards at this year’s Emerging Payments Awards. Cassava Smartech and Comviva won the silver for the Green financial inclusion initiative by mobile money platform EcoCash in the “Best Direct Account to Account Solution” and “Most Innovative Mobile or […]