Kenya IGF Online Discussions. Day 3. Developments in Fintech and E-commerce

Ali and team,

First, we should acknowledge that Credit Referencing Bureaus in Kenya are
key enablers for the growth of the country\’s consumer economy and the
quality of consumer credit portfolios, whilst protecting the privacy and
credit exposure of individual consumers.

As a result, it is only prudent that CRBs with the massive information they
hold they should facilitate the building of information capital can guide
the pricing of loans by financial institutions. The ripple effect will
result into an empowered Customer fully aware of his/ her credit histories,
to negotiate better terms for credit with financial lenders.

NB (my thoughts as a business journalist)

*Kind Regards,*

*David Indeje *

+254 (0) 711 385 945| +254 (0) 734 024 856 Khusoko
<bit.ly/2eJF9B4>

<www.facebook.com/DavidIndeje/>

<ke.linkedin.com/pub/david-indeje/17/7b9/647> Skype: david.indeje

On Thu, 12 Jul 2018 at 11:01, Ali Hussein <[email protected]> wrote:

> Thanks Grace and David.
>
> One thing that we may need to look as a country is how the Credit
> Reverence Bureaus operate. There is too much negative reporting as opposed
> to positive one. There is a story in the papers that reported that 10% of
> Kenyans are listed on CRB.
>
> What way forward?
>
> *Ali Hussein*
> *Principal*
> *AHK & Associates*
> +254 0713 601113
>
> Twitter: @AliHKassim
>
> Skype: abu-jomo
>
> LinkedIn: ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
>
> \”We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a
> habit.\” ~ Aristotle
>
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On 12 Jul 2018, at 10:38 AM, David Indeje via kictanet <
> [email protected]> wrote:
>
> @Grace I guess so. But when you also flip it as a follow up to yesterday\’s
> discussion, we are also being driven to a situation where if you don\’t have
> any data available about you,
> then, it is not possible to get any financial help.
> So, I guess as technology continues to evolve so will people be required
> to do lots of things to fully benefit from it.
>
> *Kind Regards,*
>
> *David Indeje *
>
> +254 (0) 711 385 945| +254 (0) 734 024 856 Khusoko
> <bit.ly/2eJF9B4>
>
> <www.facebook.com/DavidIndeje/>
>
> <ke.linkedin.com/pub/david-indeje/17/7b9/647> Skype: david.indeje
>
>
> On Thu, 12 Jul 2018 at 10:19, Grace Bomu <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> @ Indeje, I wonder whether we are being driven to a \”you must have a
>> credit score\” world and thereby a situation where one might have to take a
>> loan just to get a credit score.
>>
>> 2018-07-12 10:12 GMT+03:00 David Indeje via kictanet <
>> [email protected]>:
>>
>>> As regards 3. How about the Credit Reference Bureaus? Are they stuck in
>>> a time warp or is the legislation in place encumbering them from
>>> innovation?
>>>
>>> I once spoke to KBA\’s Dr. Habil Olaka and he noted that the CRB\’s role
>>> in the market has not been achieved as it is currently constituted.
>>> According to him, CRB was not to play the role of blacklisting persons
>>> who have defaulted but rather to inculcate an environment where people
>>> become responsible and
>>> similarly,
>>> help financial institutions to better price a person who is seeking
>>> financial help.
>>>
>>> This is a reason that led to the launch of the Loan Calculator by the
>>> KBA. There reasoning was it is better to get a loan from a bank rather than
>>> the mobile lending platforms.
>>> However, in line with what @GraceBomu notes on mobile lending, FSD in
>>> their 2017 report
>>> <fsdkenya.org/annual-report/2017-annual-report/> recommended
>>> that \”As the market for digital loans grows and diversifies, further
>>> research is needed to help build a more complete and timely picture of how
>>> and whether these products can improve Kenyans’ lives.\”
>>>
>>> On Regulation: CBK has the best answer on how it regulates mobile
>>> lending institutions so that they are differentiated from the banks.
>>> However, I agree with BBK MD Jeremy Awori who says \”Excessive control and
>>> regulation does not help the market. This is adding a lot of bureaucracy
>>> and cost, which will find its way to the charges of products\” he spoke this
>>> yesterday.
>>> Same sentiments have been raised by Safaricom and also the CBK
>>> <www.businessdailyafrica.com/markets/marketnews/Proposed-finance-law-will-cripple-CBK–says-governor/3815534-4585524-dt5vtiz/index.html>
>>> as regards to the new Financial bill
>>>
>>>
>>> *Kind Regards,*
>>>
>>> *David Indeje *
>>>
>>> +254 (0) 711 385 945| +254 (0) 734 024 856 Khusoko
>>> <bit.ly/2eJF9B4>
>>>
>>> <www.facebook.com/DavidIndeje/>
>>>
>>> <ke.linkedin.com/pub/david-indeje/17/7b9/647> Skype:
>>> david.indeje
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thu, 12 Jul 2018 at 09:47, Grace Bomu via kictanet <
>>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi Ali,
>>>> ​With regard to the question of mobile money lending, it is a subset of
>>>> micro finance in many ways. It definitely ​leads to more financial
>>>> inclusion for the unbanked and provides credit to those who would normally
>>>> not be targeted by banks. However, the interest rates are sometimes so high
>>>> that one wonders if the goal is financial inclusion or bondage through
>>>> credit. There needs to be more transparency by the lending apps not only
>>>> about their rates but how these are derived, what data they hold and for
>>>> how long. The money lending apps are also marketed in isolation from other
>>>> important information that one needs in order to make the most out of
>>>> credit. In comparison to microfinance for example, the institutions take
>>>> time to educate borrowers about finance, business plans, loan repayment
>>>> plans etc. There are also social structures like women groups or SACCO
>>>> groups that assist borrowers to reach their goals with the money they
>>>> borrowed. This is a gap with mobile money lending apps which are more
>>>> impersonal and agnostic about the purposes for borrowing.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ​Regards​,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Il giovedì 12 luglio 2018, Ali Hussein via kictanet <
>>>> [email protected]> ha scritto:
>>>>
>>>>> Dear listers.
>>>>>
>>>>> Since the advent of Mpesa, Kenya has been recognized as Ground Zero
>>>>> for Mobile Money/Payments Innovation the world over. According to a World
>>>>> Bank report one in every ten human beings regularly using mobile money is a
>>>>> a Kenyan.
>>>>>
>>>>> Over the last few years Fintech (Financial Technology) has become all
>>>>> the rage. American startups are setting up in Kenya. The more common ones
>>>>> that we know are Branch and Tala who combined have raised over $150m of
>>>>> venture funds in the last few years. These two are mainly mobile lending
>>>>> platforms. Insuretech is taking root. Payment Platforms are proliferating.
>>>>> Banks are jumping onto the Fintech Bandwagon with mainstream banks like
>>>>> Barclays and HF Group launching their mobile lending apps. Equity Bank
>>>>> boldly announced a few weeks ago that they are building an API Bank.
>>>>> Banking as a Service as it were.
>>>>>
>>>>> Not to be left out, Blockchain and it’s offspring, Bitcoin is
>>>>> threading to complete the upheavals in the financial sector. On top of it
>>>>> all the government is playing catch up on regulation with the announcement
>>>>> of the Finance Bill 2018. See analysis from KPMG on this.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> home.kpmg.com/ke/en/home/insights/2018/06/finance-bill-2018-analysis.html
>>>>>
>>>>> To ponder:-
>>>>>
>>>>> 1. Are we moving too fast? Is there a need to take a chill pill and
>>>>> reflect on the gains and achievements of the sector? Should we regulate
>>>>> lightly or heavily?
>>>>>
>>>>> 2. Should we regulate and cap the mobile lending platforms? Are they
>>>>> playing a crucial role of financial inclusion or are they just loan sharks
>>>>> on steroids?
>>>>>
>>>>> 3. How about the Credit Reference Bureaus? Are they stuck in a time
>>>>> warp or is the legislation in place encumbering them from innovation?
>>>>>
>>>>> 4. Lastly is the BlockChain conversation being overhyped? And how do
>>>>> you separate the technology from the cryptocurrencies it spawns?
>>>>>
>>>>> Over to you Listers.
>>>>>
>>>>> *Ali Hussein*
>>>>> *Principal*
>>>>> *AHK & Associates*
>>>>> +254 0713 601113
>>>>>
>>>>> Twitter: @AliHKassim
>>>>>
>>>>> Skype: abu-jomo
>>>>>
>>>>> LinkedIn: ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
>>>>>
>>>>> \”We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act
>>>>> but a habit.\” ~ Aristotle
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>>>
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>>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
>>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
>>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
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>>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
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>>
>>
>> —
>> Grace Mutung\’u
>> Skype: gracebomu
>> @Bomu
>> PGP ID : 0x33A3450F
>>
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> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people\’s times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don\’t flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>
>

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