Expanding the Mobile Money Agent Network

In 2019, JoPACC developed and introduced a solution to address the challenge faced by mobile money agents when opting to connect with more than one mobile payment service provider (mPSP) to serve as their agents. The solution is a unified agent interface (UAI), which is a portal that enables access by super agents to all mobile wallet applications that are connected to the portal. This technical integration assists agents to partner with more than one mPSP and have unified access to all their application. agents of mobile payment service providers (mPSPs) play an integral role in serving customers. Services including registration, cash-in and cash-out are offered to customers through agents, in addition to technical assistance when possible. Agents could be merchants, such as mobile shops and supermarkets, or exchange houses, or branches of telecommunication companies. Up until recently, agents of a mobile payment service provider (mPSP) served only clients of that mPSP. This has limited accessibility to services for customers and possibly led to discouraging them to adopt mobile wallets. For agents, connecting to more than mobile wallet application on the same device can be technically challenging.

To deploy the UAI in the market and reap its fruits by the agents and end users, JoPACC joined forces with the Mobile Money for Resilience Initiative (MM4R) in 2019. MM4R is an initiative that was launched by the Central Bank of Jordan and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which aims to promote financial inclusion of refugees and vulnerable Jordanians, providing them with the tools and resources needed to take control of their financial lives and become more empowered. JoPACC and MM4R partnered with the Jordan Post Company to employ the branches of the latter as super agents, utilizing the UAI, and strengthen the role of the Post Company in the offering of digital financial services. As part of this partnership, 10 post branches in Mafraq have been selected and JoPACC from its side conducted an assessment of their needs to be fit to serve as super agents while MM4R equipped the selected branches.

As part of this collaboration, JoPACC conducted awareness sessions to all post branch staff and familiarized them with the concept of mobile money and its use, and the role of agents in serving mobile money users, in addition to providing training on the use of the UAI. JoPACC has further produced brochures and awareness materials to be made available to mobile money users at the post branches. JoPACC has further provided technical support to all involved branches to ensure the smooth operation of the interface and to enhance its services to agents and customers.

MM4R had a unique position in this collaboration, as it is led by the Central Bank of Jordan who puts high emphasis in its efforts on increasing financial inclusion and on enhancing the offering of digital financial services to cater to the needs of all society segments.