How Mobile Platforms are driving a true ‘Digital India’

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How Mobile Platforms are driving a true ‘Digital India’
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Gender diversity can bring great value to an organization and its business strategy. With this in mind, mobile platforms are going beyond just being a means of communication.
In developing countries, 200 million fewer women than men are online, and 300 million fewer women own a mobile phone (No Ceilings: The full participation report, March 2015).

Yet, research also shows that the impact of empowering women financially is tremendous starting with their ability to raise the living standard of the entire household given that they are more likely to spend their income on establishing healthier and sustainable lifestyles for their families.

Hence, mobile platforms have taken the noble task of financially and socially empowering the world. This is the true meaning of the ‘Digital World’. While Narendra Modi is still struggling with the aims and objectives of Digital India, these mobile platforms are serving the campaign to the truest of its meaning.

1. Tata Communications- To financially empower 25,000 women in the developing world, part of a larger vision to ultimately reach 100 million women, the global telecommunications company and global payments technology company join forces with a unique network of partners including Brightstar Corp, Kiva, Tone, Trickle Up and the Hidary Foundation to bring their shared vision to life over the next five years through access to transformative mobile platforms comprising a range of financial, health and education applications and services.

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Tata Communications, MasterCard and its network of partners will realize this vision by taking a non-linear implementation approach as is often taken in the technology sector. The program will kick-off with pilot projects in India, Nigeria, Indonesia and Guatemala, targeting 25,000 women, serving as microcosms. The replication of these microcosms will enable scale with a vision to reach 100 million women by 2020.

For financial inclusion, Tata Teleservices started a unique venture mRupee, a semi closed wallet that offers operator agnostic service. It works towards creating products for all customers who can now have a choice of cashless dealings.

mRUPEE has partnered with Manappuram Finance Ltd, one of India’s leading gold loan NBFCs for providing a convenient and secure alternative physical and online repayment option to its customers

It recently partnered with ICICI Bank to provide Delhi Metro users with an easy recharge facility. They can now recharge their metro cards at close to 1000 mRUPEE outlets of Mobi Wallet Payment Systems (MMPL).
How Mobile Platforms are driving a true ‘Digital India’

2. Ernst and Young- Ernst and Young started its financial inclusion venture in Brazil. Brazil is suffering from financial problems for over a decade now. This is coupled with availability of poor data connections. Despite the complexities, the functionality of the mission is relatively simple for the user. With the card or a cellphone, the client can make payments, recharge pre-paid cellphones, make B2B transactions and have access to individual customer care. The product is designed not only for individuals, but also for very small merchants. To reach these consumers, bank branches and wireless retail stores work as the main sales and recharge channels for this product.
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How Mobile Platforms are driving a true ‘Digital India’

3. Ericsson- Ericsson India has an exclusive program, ‘Blue River Project’, to raise awareness on Diversity and Inclusion at the workplace.

As a long-term goal, Ericsson aims to have one third of its employees as women by 2020. Taking a step towards this goal, Ericsson is breaking the norm by hiring more female candidates in fields dominated by men. In its Operations Team, which is a male dominant area, Ericsson has hired 50 women in recent past.
How Mobile Platforms are driving a true ‘Digital India’

4. MasterCard- MasterCard’s FINCA Project broadens financial service delivery channels, strengthens staff capacity, scales up savings, and measures social performance.

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It allows the region’s financially underserved people to more easily access savings products and services through the development and deployment of new technologies. By making access to savings accounts and services more readily available, it is anticipated that the number of people creating their own financial safety nets will increase dramatically in coming years.

This initiative targets low-income and unbanked individuals in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia with a focus on women.

FINCA Africa currently provides financial services to more than 295,000 borrowers and nearly 417,000 savers living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
How Mobile Platforms are driving a true ‘Digital India’

5. American Express- The Bluebird from American Express is a checking account/debit card alternative with a lot of great features that can save you money and earn points in the process.

It includes no charges for opening an account online, overdraft, inactivity, card replacement, foreign transactions, and no annual or monthly fees
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Because the Bluebird works like an ATM card, you can put value on the card and then withdraw it as cash without an ATM fee if you have direct deposit linked to your account.

Just like any other bill, your Bluebird can be used to pay taxes and you get hit with lower fees (like $3-4 rather than 2-3% of the transaction) than you would using a credit card.
How Mobile Platforms are driving a true ‘Digital India’

(Image credits: Indiatimes, wsj, ericssonblueriver, muya, finca)