Equity Bank issues mobile banking smart SIM powered by Taisys Technologies to provide Mobile Banking and Mobile Communication Services
Equity Bank is determined to challenge the M-Pesa’s monopoly in this area
Today, Taisys Technologies Co., Ltd. announced that Kenya’s leading bank Equity Bank will be issuing an ultra-thin mobile banking smart SIM with patented technology from Taisys.
Equity Bank customers can now enjoy funds transfer, micro-payments and other mobile financial services that are agnostic across mobile devices, including traditional basic-feature phones using Taisys’s “mBanking” and “duoSIM”.
The technology also allows the bank to extend to customers mobile telecommunication services approved by Communications Authority of Kenya.
Financial institutions issuing banking SIM
Traditionally, banks providing mobile banking services rely on the telecommunications provider to issue smart SIMs. Besides substantial investments from the bank in product development, the banks do not have direct control over the platform, making day-to-day maintenance difficult and creating customer experiences that are less than ideal.
Related: GSMA backs Safaricom’s petition against Equity Bank’s thin SIM technology.
With Taisys’s patented ultra-thin smart SIM – duoSIM – can be directly attached the surface of an existing telco-issued SIM, and placed into the mobile device. Taisys’s duoSIM can then be used to execute mobile banking transactions, releasing the bank from the limitations of a telco-issued banking SIM.
Mobile banking and telco service with one solution
The unique nature of Kenya’s financial market provided the ideal environment for the rapid growth of mobile micropayment provider M-Pesa. Equity Bank is determined to challenge the M-Pesa’s monopoly in this area. By adopting duoSIM technology, Equity Bank can now provide an alternative mobile banking and mobile money solution to consumers. By successfully securing a license to be a mobile virtual network operator, Equity Bank becomes the first financial services institution in Kenya that is also licensed to provide telecommunication services.
“With a population of 40 million, and 14 million mobile money users, Kenya is a mature market with users familiar with mobile financial services. Taisys sees this as a great impetus for growth in mobile banking,” said, Jason Hom CEO of Taisys, with great optimism in Kenya’s market potential.
Related: Kenya National Assembly derails planned Equity Bank thin SIM roll out.
He also sees Taisys’s collaboration with Kenya’s largest bank as a strategic partnership to expand the offering of mobile banking services, and providing such services to a wider population in Kenya.
About Taisys
Taisys Technologies Co. Ltd. is a world leader in making mobile interconnectivity and vertical integration across various industry players. The patented SIMoME technology decouples Value-Added Services from the main SIM, empowering financial institutions, transport operators, and MNOs/MVNOs with innovative solutions.
Present in Taipei, Beijing, Singapore, Bangkok and Johannesburg, Taisys has significant growth powered by increasing demand for roaming and banking services. Nowadays, over 10 million users enjoy these mobile based value-added services worldwide.
