How can a non-profit take payments online?
How do not-for-profit organisations, charities and fundraisers receive donations online? Here are the main tools, providers and what to look for.
SMS payments and charities
Charities have become important users of SMS payments, both to raise money and to give direct help. What are real-life examples of this?
How do SMS payments work for users?
Read about how text (SMS) payments work and the types of transactions they can be used for.
The bad press history of SMS payments
SMS payments had negative publicity in the press in the early years due to some unscrupulous behaviour, although this is not the case anymore.
How to block premium SMS messages, step by step
Receiving nuisance premium SMS messages? Here's the general step-by-step instructions for blocking premium text messages you're receiving by mistake.
M-PESA: how Kenya took the lead in mobile money
By Janet Kamana, Nairobi M-PESA is a mobile money transfer service supported by Safaricom, Kenya's largest mobile network operator. It is arguably the most developed mobile money transfer system in the world, and has transformed the lives of many Kenyans. With over 18.2 million subscribers in a country [...]
Security of SMS Payments
SMS payments are incredibly secure. This is the main point you need to emphasise to your customers, to reassure them that any SMS payment transaction will be safe for them. When you come to ask for payments via SMS remind them that because the customer doesn't need to enter in [...]
Organisations overseeing SMS payments – by country
To protect consumers from unscrupulous companies, many countries have set up a regulatory framework to reassure their customers that it is safe to use any SMS payment provider registered with them and also to offer them a place where they can raise any concerns about SMS payments. The need [...]
Premium SMS – instant SMS payments for your website
SMS payment means using text messages to pay for products or services. Mobile phone users can send text messages to a predefined number with a certain text. The mobile phone carrier will then add the cost to the user's normal monthly bill or deduct it from the prepaid balance. [...]
What is the difference between an SMS gateway and an SMS payment gateway?
An SMS gateway is a facility to allow the sending and receiving of SMS messages. SMS gateways are maintained and operated by mobile phone operators. An SMS payment gateway is a piece of code, an application, installed onto a web page by a SMS payment provider to enable businesses to [...]
What are SMS payments?
SMS payments can work for large and small companies alike, as well as charities. Find out how you can use SMS payments and if there are any advantages.
Growing use of SMS payments around the world
United States of America In the USA most mobile phone operators, banks and developers are banking on NFC technology being the key technology to the growth of mobile payments. In the United States users can already use smartphones to pay for goods (Starbucks, MobilePay USA) or to accept payments for [...]
Predicted growth in mobile payments in Asia Pacific
China has the largest number of mobile phone users in the world at the moment, with 987,580,000 mobile phones in use, closely followed by India, with 903,727,208. Japan and Indonesia are also in the top ten countries worldwide for mobile phone ownership. Asia Pacific is a big market for mobile [...]
Who is using SMS payments and mobile payments and where?
The use of the mobile phone as a wallet or payment device is growing rapidly as companies, financial institutions and customers come to grips with the technology and the possibilities that it brings for mobile payments. Here are just some case studies showing real-life examples of SMS payments and [...]
M-Pesa: Yet to make an impact in India
M-Pesa has established itself globally as one of the most successful mobile micro-finance and money transfer services. Its network consists of the following countries and regions: Afghanistan, South Africa, parts of Eastern Europe, Kenya, and India. Vodafone, India’s second largest mobile operator introduced M-Pesa in India in 2011. It has [...]
Mobile banking, the new and easier way to bank in Pakistan
Since 1947, Pakistan’s banking sector has come a long way. The current estimated population of Pakistan exceeds 182 million out of which roughly only 7% use banking services. With a network of 12,000 branches across Pakistan the banking footprint is well established, but has also been deemed insufficient. Taking [...]
Pakistan’s Easypaisa makes banking popular and accessible
Pakistan’s first mobile based branchless banking service, Easypaisa, is the creation of Tameer Microfinance Bank and the international telecommunication giant, Telenor. Established in 2009, the service is now accessible in more than 800 cities and towns throughout Pakistan. It has an average of six million users per month. In [...]