WIZZIT reaching the Unbanked of South Africa
WIZZIT is a South African company that has developed a mobile phone based banking service for unbanked and underbanked communities.
The product offered is a low cost, transactional bank account that uses cell phones for making person-to-person payments, transfers and pre-paid purchases. The company also employs over 2500 “Wizz Kids” – unemployed people from low-income communities – to promote the product and help unbanked customers open accounts. The initiative was conceived at the beginning of 2002 with the goal of providing social upliftment by empowering people to interact financially and has plans to expand into other countries in Africa.