IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GENDER AND DIGITAL FINANCIAL SERVICES CAMPING WITH OUR CUSTOMERS The Service EasyPaisa1 of Pakistan uses 75,000 agents and 6,000 plus 1-link enabled ATMs to facilitate 1.2 million Benazir Income Support Payments (BISP) to poor women every quarter. Utilizing an KEY FIGURES innovative co-location tent for each client servicing, EasyPaisa has watched these women develop their financial literacy and share this learning in the community. 1.2 million transactions every quarter Innovations 75,000 agent locations The BISP recipients are not likely to own mobile phones. EasyPaisa and BISP opted for a debit card solution. These accounts can be transitioned to mobile phones when ownership and usage rates 75 percent of recipients increase. from the poorest 40 percent of the population To service these customers, BISP and EasyPaisa have set up 31 “campsites” strategically located approximately 5 kilometers from All 1.2 million recipients any client’s home. These tents have BISP staff members to verify have a bank account, a eligibility. EasyPaisa personnel in turn issue and train customers in debit card, and are fully how to use the debit cards, making them a one-stop tent for customers. trained to use agents These service tents also manage lost cards or PINs, re-training and and ATMs queries about payments. 31 Co-location Service Adaptations campsites created EasyPaisa needed to ensure the cash-out points were ready for 1.2 million transactions of 5 billion Pakistani Rupee (PKR) (approximately US$47 million) per quarter through retailers and ATMs. The availability of cash in ATMs is not the responsibility of Easy Paisa, as the ATMs are owned by various banks across Pakistan. Therefore, they mapped locations of clients and reviewed current liquidity levels, and increased agent numbers of installed ATMs. A lot of pre- planning was involved. 1. EasyPaisa is a joint venture between Telenor Pakistan and Tameer Bank/MFI in 2009. Telenor now owns 100 percent of Tameer Bank, and therefore 100 percent of EasyPaisa. It is based in Pakistan. Having access to a debit card was new for all of these • Reduced waiting time due to the number of outlets women, so mass training events needed to be held. where customers can receive cash. Previously this These events advised users on what a debit card is, was through money orders at the Pakistan Post where to use it, how it works and most importantly Office. — protection of the card and PIN. Through intensive training and service tents, clients have adapted • Increased financial literacy and access to a formal quickly. The information was shared and travelled financial tool that can be used for various reasons. fast. • A one-stop shop for registration, education, queries EasyPaisa also needed to ensure agents were aware of and feedback. what was about to occur, including bringing on new clients, understanding how the BISP works, creating How can this apply to the Pacific service points for customers, and so on. Region As governments look to digitize payments, DFS How the BISP Payments have added providers can be ready to help them achieve this goal. value to EasyPaisa By working with the government, a DFS provider can EasyPaisa was able to deliver a high quality service for grow their customer base quickly. The government BISP. As such, it has gained many other bulk payers may also possibly pay for the change management. who can now utilize the facilities and knowledge built A marketable and fairly similar client set allows for through the BISP program. easier development and testing of new products. EasyPaisa receives commission from the government The same model can be offered to large companies, to distribute the payments. The government also funds non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other the costs associated with the service tents (except entities making regular payments. In addition, this EasyPaisa staff). In addition, it has experienced generates demand in rural areas where the business dramatic customer growth. Customers receiving case for agents is hard to create. payments through EasyPaisa are also more likely to wish to receive their remittances (from extended Additional Resources: family, and other government payments) through this http://dailytimes.com.pk/business/23-Dec-15/wb- channel. lauds-system-transparency-of-bisp http://www.grameenfoundation.org/resource/ Further Opportunities easypaisa-overview-operational-model-mobile- • Designing new products to customers, for example, money-service-provision loans to customers based on confirmed eligibility, https://www.telenor.com/media/articles/2014/ and micro insurance from BISP payments. bringing-financial-services-to-pakistani-women/ • Adapting cards to also include mobile access and build a non-over the counter (OTC) transaction set. Contact: Margarete Biallas | IFC Digital Financial Services Advisory | mbiallas@ifc.org IN PARTNERSHIP WITH