Implications of mandatory registration of mobile phone users in Africa

Jentzsch, Nicola

doi:10.1016/j.telpol.2012.04.002

Cited by 20 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…For this, it is necessary to develop a national digital identity infrastructure, in line with what is proposed by FATF [87]. Indeed, if users do not trust fintechs, they may elect not to use the financial services available to them [88,89].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unlocking the Potential of Fintechs for Financial Inclusion: A Delphi-Based Approach

Jóia

Cordeiro

2021

Sustainability

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The financial sector is experiencing an accelerated process of transformation shaped by fintechs, which opens an important window of opportunity to increase financial inclusion in emerging markets, such as Brazil, with high financial exclusion. Thus, this article investigates, through a Delphi approach involving fintech professionals, the potential of fintechs to enable financial inclusion in emerging markets, using Brazil as a proxy. The analysis carried out identified three domains related to fintechs that have the potential to impact financial inclusion: (i) fintechs can serve niches of people without a bank account in the traditional financial market, (ii) fintechs can reduce costs for clients through increased competition, and (iii) fintechs can offer financial services in remote locations, far from traditional financial institutions. Thus, with the objective of developing a public agenda of financial inclusion through fintechs, the article proposes four lines of public policies: (i) expansion and modernization of mobile and internet infrastructure, (ii) improvement of the population’s financial and digital education, (iii) implementation of a trustworthy environment for the fintech clients, and (iv) development and enforcement of an effective legal and regulatory framework for fintechs. These policies, if implemented, can benefit people excluded from the financial system around the world.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unlocking the Potential of Fintechs for Financial Inclusion: A Delphi-Based Approach

Jóia

Cordeiro

2021

Sustainability

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“…To begin filling this lacuna, this paper collects the results of research conducted in 2012-2013. Building on the previous work of Jentzsch (2012), in October 2012 we completed an exhaustive survey of the status of SIM registration requirements in African countries. This was subsequently revisited and updated in August 2013.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The earliest African SIM registration laws were introduced in 2006 and most have only gone into effect in the past couple years (Jentzsch, 2012), yet a number of emerging trends are evident and are likely to grow in the coming years. In this section, we point to three in particular.…”

Section: Emerging Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The rise of African SIM registration: The emerging dynamics of regulatory change

Donovan

Martin²

2014

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The African experience with mobile telephony has been extolled as a defining moment in the continent's contemporary economic, social, and political development. Yet SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) registration schemes are threatening to throttle the technology's developmental potential. These mandates, which require the registration of identity information to activate a mobile SIM card, are fast becoming universal in Africa, with little to no public debate about the wider social or political effects. Whereas some authors have explored the motivations behind these drives, as well as their potential economic impacts, this paper focuses its critique on the broader diversity of implications of this regulatory transformation. Viewing SIM registration through a lens that combines surveillance studies and information & communication technologies for development, it examines elements of resistance across a range of actors, as well as other emerging effects like access barriers, linkages to financialization, and Africa's budding mobile surveillance society.

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“…Prior to 2006, no African country had a SIM registration mandate; whereas as of February 2019, only a few countries had not introduced SIM registration laws. These mandates are often justified in terms of national security and crime prevention, though the evidence of their efficacy is disputed (Jentzsch 2012).…”

Section: Sim Registrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobile Money Platform Surveillance

Martin

2019

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Drawing on evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa, this paper explores the various forms of surveillance present on mobile money platforms. At the most basic level, mobile money is the provision of financial services through a mobile device. Over the past decade, these platforms have witnessed astonishing rates of adoption in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, and elsewhere. While some authors have praised the transformative potential of mobile money, particularly in parts of the world in which large numbers of people remain “unbanked,” more critical voices have expressed concerns about the economic risks and regulatory challenges associated with mobile money. This article focuses on an underexplored but nevertheless significant feature of mobile money platforms: the ways in which they facilitate surveillance by service providers and government authorities. Relatively established forms of surveillance include mandates for identifying customers prior to service provision. I also discuss the monitoring of mobile money agents, who receive a commission for turning cash into electronic value (and vice versa). Well-established mobile money providers are said to operate in-house “bank-grade” monitoring systems to identify suspicious transactions and comply with anti-money laundering regulations. Government agencies are also implementing bespoke monitoring solutions in countries where authorities, distrustful of mobile money providers’ self-reported data, seek to more stringently enforce regulatory compliance while also maximizing tax revenues from mobile money transactions. An analysis of these different forms of surveillance reveals their multipurpose and multi-scalar nature. I argue that the impacts of mobile money platform surveillance need to be better understood, particularly from a financial inclusion perspective.

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Implications of mandatory registration of mobile phone users in Africa

Cited by 20 publications

References 10 publications

Unlocking the Potential of Fintechs for Financial Inclusion: A Delphi-Based Approach

Unlocking the Potential of Fintechs for Financial Inclusion: A Delphi-Based Approach

The rise of African SIM registration: The emerging dynamics of regulatory change

Mobile Money Platform Surveillance

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