1. Is interoperability a critical success factor in the continued
development of mobile financial services (MFS) in specific
markets and world wide?
• Increased uptake
• Increased usage
• Reduced costs
• More rapid expansion of new products and services
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2. What is Interoperability?
“The ability of a system to work with or use the
parts or equipment of other systems”
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3. Interoperability has been critical to the operations and efficiency
of many sectors
Airlines and airports agree to handle
the baggage of each others
customers and have developed
Airlines standards (airport codes and bar
codes) and systems to facilitate
flows
Telephone operators work together
to connect billions of users world
Telecommunications wide. Standardization enables
access to networks from a range of
devices. Agreements enable the
initiation and termination of
messages and the settlement of
funds
Standardized containers enable
Shipping Containers shippers to seamlessly move
containers from ship to rail to truck
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4. Interoperability in Mobile Financial Services
“The ability of an e-wallet platform to work with or use the parts
or equipment of telecommunications, financial services, and
retail payments systems”
1. Platforms: Customers of one Three additions to CGAP’s categories:
account can send money to 1. International Mobile Money
customers of another Interconnection: Cross border
2. Agents: Agents of one service transactions between two e-
serve customers of another wallets
service 2. With Financial Institutions: e-
3. Customer: Customers can access wallet to bank account, etc
their accounts through any SIM 3. With other Payment Networks:
With Mastercard, Visa, etc
Source: CGAP Interoperability and Related Issues in Branchless Banking, GSMA The case for interoperability: Assessing the value that the
interconnection of mobile money services would create for customers and operators
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