MTN ATMs will not put Mobile Money vendors out of business – MTN

Thousands of vendors of MTN Mobile Money were skeptical as to whether the introduction of the MTN Automated Teller Machine (ATM) by the number one leading telecommunication company in Ghana, MTN, is meant to put them out of business.

This is because, apart from the sale of the MTN scratch cards, the Mobile Money business employs thousands of Ghanaians, especially the youth.

But most of these are currently living in fear as they suspect the MTN ATM has come to replace them and possibly render them unemployed.

But a source at the MTN in an interview with Prime News Ghana has dispelled the notion that the MTN ATM will put mobile vendors out of business.

Prime News Ghana source explained that “this is not a mobile money project; it is an MTN ‘Self Care Service’ project.

“It will afford MTN customers the opportunity to interact with MTN as a brand. It will enable customers print out mini statement, transfer credits, checking of balances, make enquiries”, among others, the source added.

The source said “we are aware that the Mobile Money service employs thousands of vendors across the country and also there are certain places that the MTN ATM will not work so the ATM is to complement the service and not to take out the business of the vendors”.

“It is a self care service and one can do all the services the customers can do in our MTN offices on the ATMs”, the source assured.

The source explained that “the deployment of the ATMs is being done in partnership with a bank in Ghana.

The MTN source told Prime News Ghana that “even though the machines are out, we are working on the regulatory documentations before the implementation”.

In 2017, the total active MTN agents across the country reached 151,745 with total volume transaction of 981, 564,563.

The total value of transactions amounted to GHS155,844,840,000 within the same period.

 

Background

MTN Mobile Money and their customers were in fear when the pictures of the MTN ATMs were splashed in the social media.

The latest innovation, they thought, meant that customers of MTN will not necessarily have to visit selected vending points to transact money transfer business.

However, MTN says this will affect the number of MTN mobile money merchants in operation, but it will rather reduce the pressure on merchants in some instances as well as allow customers transact transfer business even at odd hours.

 Aside from the mobile money services, the self-service kiosk will allow customers to withdraw money from a bank account without an ATM card.

 https://www.primenewsghana.com/business.html