Category: Consulting

What Airtel Money’s Comeback against M-Pesa in Kenya teaches about Challenging Market Giants

What Airtel Money’s Comeback against M-Pesa in Kenya teaches about Challenging Market Giants
For years, Safaricom’s M-Pesa was the immovable force in Kenya’s mobile money market. It dominated not only customer wallets but also public imagination, with over 90% market share and a network so vast it became synonymous with mobile money itself.
But quietly—and strategically—Airtel Money has staged a comeback. It didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t happen by mimicking M-Pesa’s dominance. Instead, it was a masterclass in what challenger telcos can do right when facing a Goliath.
Kenya’s story offers rich lessons—and data—to learn from.

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The New Bank Of Ghana Corporate Governance Rules Signals a Call to Maturity for Fintech’s by the Regulator(..Is this an Africa Trend ?)

In June 2025, the Bank of Ghana released its Corporate Governance Guidelines for Payment Service Providers. At first glance, it might seem like just another compliance update—but read between the lines, and you’ll see something deeper.
This is a call to leadership.
These guidelines don’t merely set minimum standards. They signal the central bank’s expectation that Ghana’s digital finance sector is no longer in its experimental phase. It is systemically important. And with that importance comes accountability, transparency, and—most importantly—governance maturity.
Ghana is not alone. Across Africa, fintech is growing up—and regulators are making it clear: scale must now be matched with structure.

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Bank of Ghana Governor Asiama’s Digital Finance Playbook: Quiet Revolution, Bold Stakes, and Ghana’s Fintech Future

For all its clarity, the Governor’s strategy is still early-stage. Questions remain:
• Will the central bank invest directly in shared infrastructure, or depend on industry?
• Can digital identity initiatives integrate seamlessly with national ID systems?
• Will commercial banks respond with bold enough product pivots?
• Can government agencies align around identity and infrastructure without bureaucratic drag?

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Building In-House AI Capacity in Banking: A Director’s Guide to What to Hire and How to Hire

Building In-House AI Capacity in Banking: A Director’s Guide to What to Hire and How to Hire
Why Build AI Capacity Internally?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a future concept — it is reshaping banking today. From detecting fraud in real-time to helping customers get faster loan decisions, AI has the potential to significantly increase efficiency, improve risk management, and enhance customer experience.
However, relying solely on outside vendors means you:
• May not fully own your data insights.
• Lose flexibility in tailoring solutions to your unique needs.
• Risk exposing sensitive customer data.
Building internal AI capacity allows the bank to:
• Control and secure its most valuable asset — customer and operational data.
• Develop models and systems that are custom-fit to the bank’s goals and compliance environment.
• Respond quickly to changing regulatory demands and market conditions.

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Making the Case for Open Banking in Ghana: A Strategic Imperative for the Bank of Ghana

A New Way to Power Finance in Ghana Imagine being able to use a single mobile app to see your bank accounts, mobile money wallets, savings, insurance, and even your loan eligibility—all in one place, in real-time. Now imagine that app recommending the best savings plan or offering a better loan deal from a different bank with just a few clicks. That is the power of Open Banking.

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Why Most Corporate-Startup Partnerships Fail—and How to Fix It! (My lessons from judging top corporate startup competitions)

Having had the privilege of judging numerous business pitch competitions across various industries—including the USAID Armyworm Challenge, the MTN Challenge for several years, the Africa Engineering Prize, MIT Solve, the Ghana Government Presidential Pitch, GSMA GLOMO Awards, and most recently the Ecobank Fintech Challenge—I’ve gained deep insights into the intersection of corporate and startup worlds. These competitions are a testament to the corporate sector’s desire to stay attuned to emerging trends in technology and innovation, a vital step in avoiding irrelevance. However, beyond the excitement of the pitch, I’ve observed a consistent gap: many corporates struggle to effectively capitalize on the potential of startup partnerships to truly drive growth.

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What If MTN Ghana Became a Bank? Would It Be Bigger Than Your Bank?

I left the conference thinking about what it would look like if telecom companies in Ghana could get banking licenses. I conducted an analysis of the potential effects, focusing on MTN due to its significant market share. It is important to note that MTN has clearly stated it is not seeking a banking license.

My analysis is based on data from the Ghana Banking Industry Report 2023 (A Report by LIMA Partners), the NCA data subscription analysis for December 2022 to January 2023, MTN Ghana’s FY 2023 results, and the BFT Banking Industry’s Performance in 2023 at a glance article, which is based on the summary of macroeconomic and financial data released by the Bank of Ghana (BoG).

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