Orange Money reaches 3 million customers and plans to extend its offer in cooperation with Western Union
PARIS, France, November 24, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ – Orange Money has reached the threshold of 3 million customers in the eight countries where it is now offered, thus becoming one of the most powerful electronic money services in Africa. Orange Money has tripled its customer base in the past year and continues to grow with the recent launch of services in two new countries: in Botswana in partnership with the Standard Chartered Bank, and in Cameroon in partnership with the BICEC (BPCE group).
Logo: http://www.apo-mail.org/orange-logo.jpg
Orange Money is an innovative, mobile phone-based payment service specially designed to meet the needs of customers in Africa and the Middle East. Such services offer a huge potential in sub-Saharan Africa in particular, where less than 10% of the population have access to a bank account but more than 60% have a mobile phone.
In countries where it is available, mobile phone customers may open an Orange Money account whether or not they have a bank account. Orange Money allows customers to carry out simple banking operations and transactions in total security. The three key services include:
– money transfers, where users can send money using their phone to any Orange mobile customer in the country;
– payments, giving users an easier way to pay their electricity, water, television or phones bills, as well as providing a simple way to buy mobile phone credit from any location;
– financial services, including solutions facilitating savings and insurance.
Orange (http://www.orange.com) plans to expand the Orange Money offer in the near future to include the possibility of receiving international money transfers. Orange and Western Union, a global leader in international money transfer services, have joined forces to develop this new service, which will enable Orange Money customers to receive transfers directly on their mobile phones via Western Union’s global system. According to the World Bank, countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia (AMEA) in which the Group operates receive more than 25 million transfers every year.
“Western Union (http://www.westernunion.com) is leading the way in bringing cross-border remittances to people around the globe via their mobile phones,” said Gregg Marshall, Global Head, Mobile Services, Western Union. “We are pioneering a full range of ways for our consumers to send and receive money. This alliance with Orange – one of the world’s most successful mobile operators – will introduce cross-border remittances to an entirely new segment of customers by allowing them to receive money using just their mobile phones.”
Commenting on the development of Orange Money, Marc Rennard, Orange’s Executive Director for AMEA operations, stated that “Orange Money is a very important part of our strategy in Africa and emerging markets. Mobile payment services have the potential to bring cost-effective and secure access to banking services to people with low incomes, who often live in rural or remote areas. By providing our customers with the means to save money, pay bills, run their businesses and receive money from abroad, we are not only reinforcing customer fidelity but we are also able to play an active role in the economic and social development of the country.”
First launched in Côte d’Ivoire in December 2008, Orange Money is also available in Senegal, Madagascar, Mali, Niger and Kenya, as well as in Botswana and Cameroon. It will soon be launched in Mauritius. The Group expects success in mobile banking services to accelerate in the coming years in light of the expanding customer base and widespread use of these services on a day-to-day basis.
Distributed by the African Press Organization for Orange.
About Orange
France Telecom-Orange (http://www.orange.com) is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with 170,000 employees worldwide, including 102,000 employees in France, and sales of 33.8 billion euros in the first nine months of 2011. Present in 35 countries, the Group had a customer base of 221 million customers at 30 September 2011, including 145 million customers under the Orange brand, the Group’s single brand for internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the company operates. At 30 September 2011, the Group had 162 million mobile customers and 14 million broadband internet (ADSL, fibre) customers worldwide. Orange is one of the main European operators for mobile and broadband internet services and, under the brand Orange Business Services, is one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.
With its industrial project, “conquests 2015″, Orange is simultaneously addressing its employees, customers and shareholders, as well as the society in which the company operates, through a concrete set of action plans. These commitments are expressed through a new vision of human resources for employees; through the deployment of a network infrastructure upon which the Group will build its future growth; through the Group’s ambition to offer a superior customer experience thanks in particular to improved quality of service; and through the acceleration of international development
France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A) and on the New York Stock Exchange.
For more information (on the internet and on your mobile): http://www.orange.com, http://www.orange-business.com, http://www.orange-innovation.tv
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Brand Services Limited, Orange France or France Telecom.
About Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders. As of September 30, 2011, the Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered through a combined network of approximately 485,000 Agent locations in 200 countries and territories. In 2010, The Western Union Company completed 214 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $76 billion of principal between consumers, and 405 million business payments. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.
Press contacts: +33 1 44 44 93 93
Tom Wright, tom.wright@orange.com
Mylène Blin, mylene.blin@orange.com
SOURCE
Orange
Did you find this information helpful? If you did, consider donating.