In Algeria, Mobilis, subsidiary of traditional telecom operator Algérie Telecom is eager to enter the m-banking sector. Saad Damma, the company’s CEO, who was interviewed by the Algerian news site itmag-dz.com, said the firm currently awaits a response to a request sent to Central Bank of Algeria concerning the launching of the service.

Saad Damma continues saying the telecom operator already has a Mobile Money platform which was successfully tested by their teams and those of Banque Nationale d’Algérie (BNA), their commercial partner. “Once the bank gives us the GO, we will launch the m-payment platform in the 48 wilayas,” he adds. Algerians will be given access to a mobile wallet which is currently used in many African and Middle-East countries, but still relatively unknown in Algeria. Indeed, digital payment is mostly used by banks. This does not facilitate social inclusion for small budgets.

It is only recently that the country has launched its first mobile payment service, an initiative of Ooredoo in partnership with Agriculture and Rural Development Bank (BADR in French). The two institutions inked this deal in October 2015.