Airtel, Avea, Axiata, Etisalat, Millicom, MTN, Ooredoo, Orange, Telenor, Vodafone and Zain Are First to Sign Up to New Code

Cape town, South Africa - Thursday, November 6th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The GSMA today launched a Code of Conduct for Mobile Money Providers, outlining a series of common business principles to enable the development of safe and responsible digital financial services. The first mobile network operators (MNOs) to endorse the Code are Airtel, Avea, Axiata, Etisalat, Millicom, MTN, Ooredoo, Orange, Telenor, Vodafone and Zain. Together, these MNO groups represent 82 mobile money deployments operating in 51 countries.

“By endorsing the Code of Conduct, mobile operators are demonstrating their commitment to offering safe and reliable services, which will strengthen the digital financial ecosystem by fostering consistent implementation of business practices that ensure service quality, enhance customer satisfaction, facilitate commercial partnerships, and build trust with regulators,” said Anne Bouverot, Director General, GSMA. “The GSMA strongly encourages all of its members offering mobile money services to endorse the Code that we’ve introduced today.”

The companies that have subscribed to the Code are formalising their commitment to eight principles underpinning three key areas of importance: soundness of services; security of the mobile network and channel; and the fair treatment of customers. Providers that endorse the Code commit to:

    Safeguard customer funds against risk of loss;
    Maintain effective mechanisms to combat money laundering and terrorist financing;
    Equip and monitor staff, agents, and entities providing outsourced services to ensure that they offer safe and reliable services;
    Ensure reliable service provision with sufficient network and system capacity;
    Take robust steps to ensure the security of the mobile network and channel;
    Communicate clear, sufficient and timely information to empower customers to make informed decisions;
    Develop mechanisms to ensure that complaints are effectively addressed and problems are resolved in a timely manner; and
    Collect, process, and/or transmit personal data fairly and securely.

The GSMA is also working with members and expert organisations in developing recommended business practices to provide guidance on how groups and country-level mobile money providers can effectively operationalise the principles that underlie the Code. In addition, the GSMA and the providers participating in the initiative will work to develop a self-assessment process along with a robust certification regime for verifying compliance with the Code of Conduct.

The Code of Conduct can be found at: www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/programmes/mobile-money-for-the-unbanked/code-of-conduct

-ENDS-

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators with 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in industry sectors such as financial services, healthcare, media, transport and utilities. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

Contacts

For the GSMA

Charlie Meredith-Hardy

+44 7917 298428

CMeredith-Hardy@webershandwick.com

or

Jill Hamilton

+27 826 588 831

jhamilton@webershandwick.com

or

GSMA Press Office

pressoffice@gsma.com

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