“ WorldRemit is CSR, and CSR is WorldRemit, in the sense of our operating mantra is that we want to bring down the cost of remittances and every dollar we can save has as significant impact to the community” — Andrew Stewart, Managing Director at WorldRemit, Middle East and Africa
to send money from a mobile account.” To this end, WorldRemit does have a significant part to play in furthering digital inclusion. The company strives to foster and develop key strategic partnerships with mobile operators and digital financial service providers in order to further this digital conversation. Stewart feels that in actual fact, remittance is the conversation starter. “We have found that a remittance should be the very start of financial inclusion. It can be a means of empowering SMEs to receive funds that, traditionally, they couldn’t access. Remittance could very well be a genesis of financial inclusion.”
chunk of our business today”. Despite this booming digital econo-
WorldRemit is currently working with more than 130mn mobile money partners
my, Africa is still a maturing continent
worldwide and as the company
and as such digital inclusion is not in
continues to expand its digital footprint,
a position to sync up to this growing
Stewart understands the importance
mobile and internet led continent.
in nurturing and working closely with
But it is getting there, believes Stewart.
these partners. “You have to onboard
“There are more mobile phones in
the partner and then drive growth and
Africa than there are bank accounts,”
innovation with these partners to
he says. “From our perspective, the
ultimately create ease of access for
greater the financial inclusion and
the customers,” says Stewart. “We also
digital financial inclusion in Africa, the
do joint marketing campaigns and we
easier we can make it for our customers
can already point to improvements in a f r i c a . b u s i n e s s c h i e f. c o m
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