Mobicash, a joint venture of Mobilink, Pakistan’s largest telecommunication service provider, and Waseela Microfinance Bank has been nominated for the esteemed GSMA’s GLOMO Awards 2016. Mobicash’s ‘Funds Disbursement for Humanitarian Aid’ is selected in the category of ‘Mobile in Emergency or Humanitarian Situations’.
Launched in 2012, Mobicash has become the fastest growing MFS provider in the country with more than 59,000 agents in 633 cities, towns and villages of Pakistan. It also deploys its services in regions hit by disasters and natural calamities. Various public & private organizations engage Mobicash in such projects. The ‘Funds Disbursement for Humanitarian Aid’ is aimed exclusively for assisting affectees of natural disasters and humanitarian crises. The service was first assigned by Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Oct’14 to distribute Punjab Government’s allocated funds in inaccessible areas to families affected by country’s worst ever flooding. In the same year Pakistan army launched a military operation in North Waziristan to root out terrorism from the country. In relation to the aftermath of this military operation, thousands of residents were displaced & relocated to various areas across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) approached Mobicash in Feb’ 15 to assist in the disbursement of relocation & settlement allowances to temporarily displaced people (TDPs) across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Through this program, Mobicash showcased its ability of accessing areas labeled inaccessible by banks and other financial institutions, especially in the aftermath of these calamities. Funds were granted to beneficiaries on their mobile accounts with Mobicash sending daily data to the concerned parties for complete visibility of payments being received by the beneficiaries. The biometric based solution enabled Mobicash to ensure no doubling of payments occur, and negate fake claims to the relief funds. The transparency of the procedure ultimately increased credibility of the project.
Jeffery Hedberg, CEO, Mobilink commented, “We are very pleased to represent Pakistan positively on an international level. The nomination has highlighted Mobilink’s continued dedication to Pakistan and is a great tribute to our team who are delivering in every way we can for our customers.”
While congratulating to all of the nominees for the 2016 GLOMO Awards, Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA stated, “With more than 930 entries this year – a new record – the competition is greater than ever, reflecting the tremendous diversity and pace of innovation across the mobile world. We are particularly excited to be celebrating the 21st year of the awards with a dynamic new format that will recognize and honor achievement throughout Mobile World Congress.”
This year, 285 nominees have been shortlisted for more than 40 awards over eight categories. The event will be held on Feb 22-25 in Barcelona, Spain.
