By Telecom Lead Team: 70
percent of South Asian population does not have access to mainstream
banking. But mobile penetration has achieved significant growth.
For instance, mobile penetration rate stands at 86.6 percent in Sri Lanka, the
highest in South Asia.
Recognizing that the rural masses present a huge
opportunity for banks and retailers, banks and telecom operators must come
together to offer innovative solutions to tap into this emerging market. The
Indian Ocean / South Asia Mobile Payments & Banking Summit 2012 in Colombo,
Sri Lanka from 31 January – 1 Feb 2012 will address the challenges, strategies
and regulatory frameworks to step up mobile payments infrastructure in South
Asia.
The Summit will tackle the unique prospects and
challenges for mobile payments in the emerging economies of Sri Lanka, India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. Hear strategies and ideas that can spearhead
mobile adoption surpassing Philippines, Brazil and Kenya.
Case studies of Easy Paisa, Global Desi, SMS based
bill payments and micro credit transfers amongst others will be
presented.
The Summit will be a converging point for key players
from the telecommunication, information technology and banking sectors to come
together and share new insights .
Speakers at the Summit include top representatives from
Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Bharti Airtel,
Etisalat Lanka, Bangladesh Bank, CityCell, Sampath Bank PLC, Nepal Telecom,
ICICI Bank, LIRNEasia, MCB Bank, Dhanlaxmi Bank, etc.
The Summit is supported by the Electronic Money
Association, Prepaid International Forum, SIMalliance, Mobile Entertainment
Forum and Global Platform.
TimesofMoney, a provider of digital payment solutions and
Analogics Tech India, a turnkey solution provider, are the Associate Sponsor
and Participating Sponsor of the Summit respectively.
The growing trend towards mobile banking cannot be
ignored. South Asia with its huge untapped rural masses must capitalize
on its potential. How to access banking securely and conveniently with
the mobile phone is key to its growth. The partnership between cellular
operators and banks will provide unparalleled revenue opportunities,” said CEO
of the conference organizing company, Magenta Global, Singapore, Maggie Tan.