Maximus is a free-to-use mobile money-based group funding and savings platform built by Emergent Payments Ghana Limited which interacts with all mobile money platforms operating in Ghana.
Maximus improves the transactional efficiency by which Informal Savings Mechanisms (ISMs) users - individuals susu savers and savings groups - save money and access financial services from Financial Services Providers (FSPs) such as commercial banks, rural & community banks, savings & loans companies, microfinance companies, and financial NGOs.
Maximus also expands the Economically Feasible Operational Zone (EFOZ) of FSPs from proximity to FSP branch locations to availability across all mobile money wallets in Ghana and/or proximity to any of the 190,000 plus mobile money agents across Ghana.
Financial inclusion remains an issue to be fully tackled. A 2018 Global Findex Database report estimated 7 million Ghanaians without a bank account. Ghanaians in rural and peri-urban communities excluded from the formal banking system are finding value in the financial services offered by ISMs.
ISMs exist due to the very low incomes of people living in rural areas, the distance required to travel to bank branches or a lack of trust or familiarity with banks.
These savings mechanisms , however, can only address some of their users’ various needs. Enabling low-income individuals to access a broader set of financial products and services can empower them with the knowledge and ability to manage risk, save and invest for short or long-term goals and provides other opportunities to improve their quality of life.
Emergent Payments’ vision is to leverage technology to overcome financial inclusion issues in Ghana. The emergence of mobile money has proven to be a catalyst for financial inclusion. A Bank of Ghana (BoG) report in June 2018 estimated 29.99m registered mobile money accounts-outstripping Ghana’s estimated population in the same year. Maximus, through mobile money interoperability gives ISM users an opportunity to own bank accounts and gain access to useful financial services.
SAVINGS AT THE FRONTIER
Savings at the Frontier (SatF), a partnership between Mastercard and Oxford Policy Management is a five and a half year programme (2015-2021) to improve the financial inclusion of low- income individuals and communities in sub-Saharan Africa. The programme seeks to bridge the gap between the supply of formal financial services and ISMs so that ISM users have a greater choice and use of financial services that best meet their needs.
PARTNER WITH US
Emergent Payments intends to work with qualified FSPs by providing them with the technology and support needed to migrate and digitize existing and new ISMs onto Maximus. The digitization is expected to help FSPs expand product and service offerings, reduce cost of transactions, increase customer base and deposits, and to increase profitability of engaging ISMs in rural and peri-urban communities in Ghana in a sustainable manner.