Mobile Money & Digital Payments Africa back in Johannesburg in May

Expert session leaders from across Africa's payments industry will ask provocative questions; market pioneers will provide their perspectives in a series of industry panels and cutting-edge presentations and delegates will have the chance to take the floor and debate Africa's most pressing payments issues with the experts in a series of interactive Q&A breakout sessions.

This comprehensive three-day programme will see the most widely debated issues discussed as well as delivering unrivalled insights into the developments shaping the future of cashless payments across Africa.

The conference will host discussions around whether or not there is a place for NFC in Africa, the prospect of a contactless Africa in the future and how best to create a maximum user experience; each informing attendees on the state of the payment industry today and its prospects for the future.

A representative from Fiserv will provide the keynote address and focus on 'Interoperability: The 'golden ticket' to Africa's cashless economy'.

An addition to the programme, the 'Gaining Authorisation in Europe' workshop, hosted by Neopay, will introduce the African market to the process of obtaining an electronic money license to allow businesses to launch e-money products and services in Europe.

Mobile money

Safaricom provides the first in a series of Africa-focused discussions, with a session shedding light on Kenya, to examine the impact of mobile money on the national economy and the regulatory environment that continues to enable its sustainable development.

Dr Tumubweinee Twinemanzi, Head of Competition and Consumer Affairs with the Uganda Communications Commission, as part of a Spotlight on Uganda, will cover Innovation versus Regulation.

Kilyelyani Kanjo, Country Lead for the US Agency for International Development within Malawi, will deliver a presentation on 'Supporting the realities of a Bank' and MNO-led mobile money model. A senior representative from Telepin will be looking to the future, sharing a view on Africa's contactless future - building a vision for a cashless continent.

Saqiq Malik, Principle Consultant at Broadband Gurus Network, Venesha Palani, Head of Channel Management at Nedbank Digital and Kyai Mullei, Co-Founder of Mchanga, will also share their expertise. Mullei's session will cover 'Introducing mobile fundraising to Africa': Using the existing payments ecosystem to enable a form of social payment on the rise. His company, Mchanga, is Kenya's premier fundraising platform.

Financial services landscape

A panel discussion will bring together some of the best-informed and most innovative thinkers within the industry as they consider what the financial services landscape in Africa will look like in 2015.

'Driving through interoperability' will be led by three professionals; Ronald Wakabi, Product Manager at Diamond Trust Uganda, Kevin Marisia Amateshe, Product Manager of Orange Money and Kimathi Githachuri, Head of the Helix Institute of Digital Finance, Microsave. This discussion will consider whether working in silos is a reductive model of financial service delivery or, alternatively, if it ensures healthy competition in a free market.

Nnamdi Oranye from the African Leadership Network will chair a discussion between a financial education expert from Microfinance Opportunities and Hilary Miller-Wise, CEO of the African Region of the Grameen Foundation.

The event includes an interactive workshop designed to guide participants through the complex process of obtaining an e-money license in Europe and avoiding unnecessary pitfalls, providing a practical, business centric approach to regulation.

'Dragon's Den'

The launch of the inaugural 'Payments' Dragons Den Africa', taking place alongside the show, is set to reveal the 'next big thing to shape the industry'. It will pit three up-and-coming start-ups against each other in a hotly contested competition, each vying for the investment that will kick-start their business. The groups will pitch their financial services products to the expert judges in order to display how they will revolutionise the way people move, manage and spend their money.

In addition to the informative and educational talks provided by payment experts and the interactive panel discussions taking place, Mobile Money & Digital Payments Africa will also provide the chance for individuals to network with Africa's largest assembly of executive-level payment professionals.

For more information, go to www.mobile-money-africa.com.