RBAP-MABS Participating Bank to Share Experiences During the Mobile Money Transfer Asia Pacific Conference

December 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

MMT 2012

The leading event for Mobile money in the Asia Pacific region will bring together stakeholders from banks, MNOs, MFIs, rural banks and regulators at the Mobile Money Transfer Asia Pacific Conference (MMT-APAC) in Singapore from January 30 – February 2, 2012.

In line with this event, GM Bank, one of the MABS Participating Banks will share its experience in the session: Seizing mobile money innovations to support banking services to facilitate the growth and development of rural communities. The presentation will focus on: (1) Collaboration with Globe Telecom’s GXI to make use of the GCASH mobile money platform to faciliate greater access to banking services for clients in rural areas as well as (2) experiences working to increase cash in and out outlets by working with GCASH agents as well as local merchants.

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Rural Banks Providing Financial Education in Branchless Banking

November 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

By Cheryl Lualhati Balingit, RBAP-MABS Special Projects Coordinator

In Filipino grammar, adding the prefix mag is a nifty way to verbalize a noun. This extends from everyday, colloquial conversation Mag-kape tayo (Let’s have coffee) Mag-sine tayo (Let’s watch a movie) to more profound exhortations, like Mag-bago na tayo. (It’s time we make a change). The United States Agency for International Development-supported Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (RBAP-MABS) Program with assistance from Microfinance Opportunities (MFO) is now assisting rural banks to extend this further to promote mobile phone banking services with the launch of mag-CellBank! and the pilot testing of the Financial Education for Branchless Banking Project.

mag-CellBank!, the new logo for mobile phone banking services, employs the prefix mag to cell (for cellphone) and bank. Mag-CellBank! is an enthusiastic call for clients to perform banking transactions using their cellphones. The new name, along with a visual identity, is integrated into the new Financial Education for Branchless Banking toolkit that is currently being used by three pilot banks – GM Bank, Cantilan Bank, and 1st Valley Bank. mag-CellBank! services include Text-A-Payment (TAP), Text-A-Deposit (TAD), Text-A-Withdrawal (TAW), and phone-to-phone transfers and payments.

mag-cellbank!Launched in June 2010, the Financial Education for Branchless Banking Project is implemented by the RBAP-MABS Program with support from MFO, a Washington-based global nonprofit that develops consumer-focused ideas and solutions for the microfinance industry. The project, which is implemented in partnership with The MasterCard Foundation, aims to increase the uptake and use of mobile phone banking services through the use of financial education tools.

The dissemination and use of the toolkit rounds up close to a year of work and preparation.

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Visions on Mobile Banking & Mobile Money: A President’s View

August 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Four rural bank presidents share their views and visions on mobile banking and mobile money using the Globe GCASH platform in the Philippines. Click the following links to watch the videos:

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Representatives from Venezuela and Ecuador visit the Philippines to learn about Mobile Financial Services

July 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Ecuador and Venezuela Reps Visit RBAP-MABS

The USAID-supported Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines – Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (RBAP-MABS) program in coordination with RBAP International Study Visit Program once again organized a study tour on Mobile Phone Banking for UTIBA, the supplier of Globe’s GCASH platform and representatives from Digitel Venezuela and Grupo Mas, Coca Cola, and DIPOR from Ecuador.  Apart from visiting RBAP, the group also visited G-Xchange Inc (GXI), the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), and GM Bank from July 18-20, 2011.

The goal of the study tour was to learn about the country’s mobile money platforms and the use of these platforms by rural banks to promote mobile financial services for clients and customers in rural communities. The visitors came away with a unique appreciation of how mobile money platforms can be used to improve the lives of people in the rural communities who previously had limited access to financial services. The group also learned how rural banks have been able to promote greater access to banking services using mobile money platforms such as GCASH.  They also witnessed how banks and mobile money issuers are able to collaborate in a way that provides opportunities for both parties as well as their clients and customers.

UTIBA is developing mobile money platforms and enabling mobile financial services with partners in a variety of countries around the world.

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Representatives from Sri Lanka and Thailand visit RBAP to learn about Mobile Phone Banking

July 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Sri Lanka and Thailand Delegates

The Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (MABS) in coordination with Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) on its International Study Visit Program once again conducted a lecture on Mobile Phone Banking (MPB) with its partners from different parts of the globe. Participants last July 13-14, 2011 were from Thailand’s Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) as well as representatives from People’s Bank and Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

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The purpose of the study visit was primarily to learn about the rural bankers’ experience with offering mobile banking services to improve the lives of their clients in the rural and remote places who have limited access to financial system.  They were quite interested in the mechanics of how banks made use of mobile money platforms, how the banks educate their customers, and the important role that the Philippine Central Bank played in creating an enabling environment for mobile money platforms and mobile banking services offered by rural banks.

The group also visited GM Bank to learn first hand how rural bank clients make use of mobile phone banking services.

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