In Sub-Saharan Africa, close to half of bank clients agree to their data being shared with financial services providers.
According to a report released on November 14 by audit, consulting and advisory firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), 46% of banked adults in sub-Saharan Africa are willing to share their banking data with third-party players as part of an open banking system under certain conditions.
The report is based on a survey conducted between September and October 2022 among a sample of 1,357 people over the age of 18 in three countries representing three sub-regions: South Africa (Southern Africa), Nigeria (West Africa) and Kenya (East Africa).
Respondents who agree to share their banking data cite trust in third-party actors (16%), attractive benefits (15%), or both attractive benefits and trusted third-party actors (15%) as conditions.
Open banking is a system that allows banks to share, subject to account holders’ consent, their client data with third-party actors such as financial technology companies (fintech), neobanks, other banking institutions, payment service providers or even web giants such as Google, Apple and Facebook.
The aim of this system is to allow consumers to benefit from better and more affordable products and services that are in line with their specific needs. In such a system, a couple can, for example, use an app that analyzes their finances to create a monthly budget while an entrepreneur can connect accounting software to their bank account to fulfill their accounting obligations.
Cash remains the preferred payment mean
The survey also reveals that 39% of respondents are not willing to share their data even if it provides certain benefits and 15% are undecided and say they are still weighing the pros and cons of open banking.
Regarding payment methods, the report highlights that cash remains the preferred payment method for Africans (33.4%) ahead of debit cards (27.1%), non-bank institutions’ e-wallets (15.3%), credit cards (11.9%) and banks’ payment apps (7.1%).
In South Africa, debit cards are used by 45% of respondents, due in part to the high rate of bank penetration. In Kenya, non-bank institutions’ e-wallets dominate (76%) thanks to the growth of the M-Pesa mobile payment service developed by Safaricom.
However, contactless mobile payment seems to be gaining ground. 63% of respondents already use their cell phones to pay or plan to do so in the future. The number of respondents already using cell phones for point-of-sale payments in Kenya (69%) is almost double the number in South Africa (28%) and Nigeria (39%).
For online purchases, 43.8% use debit or credit cards, while 19.7% use mobile payment services such as M-Pesa, Apple Pay, and Samsung Pay. 14% of respondents use online payment platforms and 11.9% use bank transfers.
Regarding the Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) model, 58.7% of respondents do not use this segment of consumer credit that allows for delayed payment, and only 13.8% report using it regularly.
• Global coffee consumption projected to hit a record 169.4 million 60-kg bags in 2025/2026, up from...
In a West African financial landscape marked by tighter regulation of the fintech sector, digital fi...
• BOAD releases CFA10 billion ($17.8 million) to support Boungou and Wahgnion gold mines.• Burkina F...
Transport and food prices have been climbing steadily across Africa in recent years. In Côte d’Ivoir...
• Burkina Faso-based financial group, Vista Group Holding, has acquired a majority stake in Société ...
• Algeria grants commercial 5G licenses to top three telecom operators: Mobilis, Djezzy, and Ooredoo • License award comes on stream as part of the...
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has authorized a $262.3 million disbursement for Ethiopia, taking total payments under Extended Credit...
• ECOWAS Bank funds 47.7-km stretch of strategic 700-km road project• Lagos-Calabar highway seen boosting regional trade and investment• Part of broader...
• IFAD initiates a program worth $358.26 million to bolster dairy sector in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda • The program, called DaIMA, aims...
The Gerewol tradition is a fascinating ritual celebrated by the Bororo Fulani, a nomadic community primarily located in Chad and Niger. This annual...
In northern Ethiopia, in the Tigray region, lies Axum (also spelled Aksum), an ancient city that once stood at the heart of one of Africa’s most powerful...