Serbs pay by phone
Mobile payments firm Upaid today announced the national launch of its Mobile Payment Service (MPS) marketing campaign in Serbia. Including all three mobile operators and 10 banks in Serbia, the launch is an expansion to a service started in October 2006 with Visa International and Serbian mobile operator Mobile Telekom Serbia (mt:s).

Mobile Payments to Generate Almost $22 Billion of Transactions by 2011 and be Adopted by 204 Million Mobile Phone Users
Juniper Research predicts that P2P fund transfers and mobile payments in the developing world, together with the commercialization in 2009 of NFC (Near Field Communications) based mPayments will generate transactions worth approximately $22bn.

Mobile banking: Three ways to play
Banks are experimenting with three technologies for mobile banking: text messaging, Web browsers and downloaded applications to your phone. Each has trade-offs and will appeal to different types of consumers, experts say.

AfriCap closes record deal
AfriCap Microfinance Fund announced last weekend the closing of 2nd round of investments that raises the capital of the company to $50 million. Africap is now the largest African microfinance private equity company. In addition to the increase in capital, the company transformed into a permanent capital investment company and changed its name to AfriCap Microfinance Investment Company.

Smart card firm targets 25 mn unbanked borrowers by 2011
The Indian smart card industry is growing at the rate of 30-35%, tells FINO president and chief financial officer, Rishi Gupta
Hyderabad: The Indian microfinance sector, which is increasingly attracting funding from global venture capital investors, has thus far reached out to around 40 million borrowers. According to a report by the Ford Foundation, Indian microfinance institutions (MFIs) had distributed $770 million in loans till March. Technology products company Financial Information Network and Operations Ltd (FINO) aims to forge alliances with around 200 MFIs. Founded last year, the company supplies microfinance technology products such as smart cards and hand-held card readers to MFIs and banks for enabling transactions in unbanked areas.

Grameen Foundation and ITU Launch New Publication to Help Spur Telecommunications Access and Business Opportunities for Poor Communities
Despite the ongoing mobile phone explosion across the developing world, millions of people in poor, rural communities continue to be left behind. To help expedite the provision of affordable telecommunications access and business opportunities in these communities, Grameen Foundation and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) today launched the Village Phone Direct Manual to guide microfinance institutions and other organizations in developing microfranchise Village Phone operations.