It turns out the Econet Group, the parent company of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe and a slew of other subsidiaries in telecoms and technology, snapped up Chitoro.
The latest news from Zimpost is that Zipcash, the remittance service is now in Nigeria and has been offering services from the West African country since September this year.
Mobile money and remittance services have managed to amplify their individual success by working together. This has managed to prove the strength of partnerships and their role in effectively extending platforms and services reach.
It’s no longer called EcoLife, but Econet are back in the insurance game. This time it’s called EcoSure, and its hardly the same thing as the previous offering. The service has a different value proposition and merits in other aspects such as ease of use and a different payout. This is the MNO’s renewed attempt […]
Exciting news out of South Africa advise that MTN SA have launched a Visa card for their Mobile Money uses, following in suite of mobile payments pioneer M-PESA who did something similar way back in 2011! Orange also has a similar service. MTN has brought convenience to its users allowing them to make purchases at Visa […]
In this episode of the Techzim Podcast that recorded earlier this week we discussed In the power load-shedding by ZESA and how it affects startups, the new EcoCash Diaspora product they have partner WorldRemit to deliver, Mobile Money APIs, electronic payments in general, Paynow and finally the DSTV world cup blockage. Enjoy and lets discuss in the […]
The money transfer and remittance services industry is a big deal and it’s something we understand here in Africa because of the huge monetary inflows from the diaspora. At an annual figure of $64 billion for recorded inflows (this excludes well established informal channels) this industry has attracted a lot of investor attention. On the […]
There’s not a whole lot that we are promised on this earth but we have assurances that the multicurrency regime will be in place until 2030. You will have to decide if you believe the Zimbabwean govt will honour its word. We all know that multicurrency means USD and that the economy has more or […]
Listen, I get it if you are thinking about jumping ship. There’s nothing about rampant inflation, power cuts, unemployment and political turmoil that screams, ‘stay in Zimbabwe.’ Every single day something makes you ask yourself, ‘what am I still doing in this BLEEPING country?’ It takes a certain kind of person to stay in Zimbabwe, […]
Sasai Remit, a subsidiary of Cassava Technologies, has announced a partnership with Qoki Zindlovukazi, a United Kingdom-based women’s networking and empowerment organisation. The two say the partnership will enable both organisations to empower thousands of Zimbabweans to use a safe and secure fintech platform to seamlessly transfer funds to family and friends in South Africa […]
POSB Zimbabwe has announced a new micro-loan facility for OneMoney account holders called Mobiloans. The loans are akin to what Steward Bank and EcoCash have been doing with their Kashagi loans which were reintroduced last year. Dial *226# on your @NetOneCellular line now to apply for the instant POSB Mobiloan to buy stationery and smaller […]
E-passports are here and we have seen a few people on social media show off the new document which the government said earlier this week will become active internationally next Monday. However, as good as this all is, going to the passport office is not always a pleasant experience. Many Zimbos have an aversion to […]
In my travels on the internet, I came across a Nigerian startup called BFree that recently closed a US$1.7 million Series A round. It’s a credit management fintech that deals in ethical debt collection and it kind of took me aback because of my Zimbabwean sensibilities when it comes to borrowing. Debt, or chikwereti in […]
It’s the first Monday of 2022 and we saw quite a bit from the government and its agencies in 2021. I am sure we can all recall SI 127 of 2021 that was the latest attempt at price control even though most Zimbabwean businesses don’t have access to the Forex Auction. SI 89 banned the […]
UK-based Zimbabwean comedian Mukudzei Kandoro Majoni aka King Kandoro returned home for his Prodigal Son Tour which concluded in Harare on Christmas Eve. This was my first time attending stand up comedy locally and I can’t say I was disappointed. The opening act, Munya was pretty funny, I particularly liked the bucket bathing jokes and […]
We thought the Zimbabwean government was looking at the possibility of adopting cryptocurrencies. They clarified their position, they most definitely are not. Instead, they are looking at central banking digital currencies. For a second there we got excited but we all kind of knew that wasn’t going to happen. The govt is not thinking about […]
EcoCash Holdings Zimbabwe’s banking division, Steward Bank, has announced that it has partnered with international money transfer or remittance services Senditoo and Thunes. The partnership is to further expand the bank’s footprint in the remittance space. As I am sure you are all aware, remittance figures have been at heights never before seen (US$1 billion […]
Remittances continue to be on the rise even though there is a global pandemic. Last year money transferred to Zimbabwe through money transfer agents was just over US$1 billion. Now, there are a number of services both for Zimbabweans in the Diaspora to send money back home as well as for locals to send money […]
We have ranted and raved about BancABC’s City Hopper for some time here and you’d be forgiven for thinking that it is the only affordable domestic remittance service. However, that is not the case. There is another local player who is as competitive and the company is called Access Forex. We’ve reported on Access Forex […]
Shumba Money has announced that it has cut all fees or transactions charges for anyone in the diaspora who wants to send money to Zimbabwe. Diaspora weeee this one is for you, send money for mahala to Zimbabwe!! Send at $0 transaction cost and on top of that your recipient receives $10 complimentary on your […]
Dial-A-Med is the newest player in the on-demand retail pharmaceutical business that is on the rise due to the pandemic.
Tazine Eats, a new entry in Zimbabwe’s food delivery industry.
The reach of banking services has been broadened by FBC Bank through the launch of a virtual banking service. In a statement, the bank announced that it is now offering individuals a facility to open full bank accounts through mobile, via USSD (*220#) or the FBC Bank app. This is something similar to what we […]
Despite the fact that cash’s role in our financial system is thinning, critical things that require cash like paying for kombie or buying in Mbare, makes one realise that cash is still integral in doing business in Zimbabwe. If you don’t want to pay a premium of EcoCash charges or just pay a fee to […]
Online remittances service provider, World Remit has seen an increase in cash remittances to Zimbabwe. The company says that they have recorded 30% per month increases in cash transfers for pick up at CBZ locations alone. Increase in traffic of remittances through World Remit can be attributed to a few things: Opening of the South […]
A lot of businesses rely on the internet and while that might seem like common knowledge we were forced to relearn that this week as our government made the draconian move to switch off the internet. Not only did making payments become suddenly more difficult but communicating and entertainment went old school. Cutoff from Streaming […]