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Send Wave Repport
Send Wave Repport
PREPARED BY :
GHIZLANE MHILIS
NSEGUE NGUEMA GRAZELIA DARLY
MAROGA RUTH CECILIA
DITAMBA NGOUKA NAIC DORIN
NTOUTOUME ONGOUA LUBIN MARTIAL
MVOU NGOUNDA B. GASTONIE REVE D’AURORE
MBOUMBA ACXELLE -JORDI
SUPERVISED BY :
MR. OLUGBENGA AYO OJUBANIRE
2023/2024
PLAN
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................... 1
1-ABOUT SENDWAVE .............................................................. .2
What is SENDWAVE ?
2-USER EXPERIENCE..................................................................3
SMS
USER-FRIENDLY INTERFACE
EASY REGISTRATION
7-ENTRY STRATEGY................................................................15
Entry strategy into the Gabonese market
The entry strategy and regulation
Strategic advantages
Risk analysis and contingency plan
10-INNOVATIONS OF WAVE....................................................20
CONCLUSION ...........................................................................21
REFERENCES............................................................................22
Introduction :
Sendwave, make sending money to your loved ones in other countries easy, fast, and
affordable. We're a team of seven students from Euromed Business School, specializing in
finance and business management, and we've embarked on an exciting project to explore
how Sendwave could bring its incredible service to Gabon. Our mission is threefold: firstly,
we'll dive deep into what makes Sendwave so special when it comes to international money
transfers. Next, we'll unravel the financial rules and regulations in Gabon, shedding light on how
they affect companies like Sendwave. Finally, we'll craft the perfect strategy for Sendwave's
seamless introduction to Gabon, where such convenient services are not yet widely available.
We're guided by a few key questions:
1. What does Sendwave do really well when it comes to sending money internationally?
2. How do the money rules in Gabon affect companies like Sendwave?
3. What's the best plan for Sendwave to start helping people in Gabon send money to
their families easily and safely?
Through our research, we aim to pave the way for Gabonese families to experience the
benefits of Sendwave, simplifying the process of sending money to one another and
ultimately making their lives better.
1
About SENDWAVE
What is SENDWAVE ?
Sendwave, a leading fintech company specializing in international remittances, has made
significant strides in the world of cross-border money transfers. Its journey from inception to
its current status as a reliable and innovative service is a testament to its commitment to
financial inclusion and accessibility.
Sendwave was founded in 2014 by Drew Durbin and Lincoln Quirk, two individuals with a
shared vision to provide a more affordable and efficient means of sending money
internationally, particularly to countries in Africa. They recognized the high costs and
complexities associated with traditional remittance methods and sought to create a solution
that would simplify the process.
2
User experience
When it comes to sending money across borders, the user experience matters. In the
world of wave, it's all about making international money transfers easy, secure, and
straightforward. Whether you're sending financial support to family or friends or receiving
funds from loved ones, Wave has designed its platform with your convenience and
peace of mind in mind. Join us teacher as we explore the user experience in sendwave
speacially in wave, where SMS notifications, simple interfaces, and a commitment to
SMS
Certainly! In the world of sendwave, your experience is made even better with the
magic of SMS. Picture this: you decide to send money to your loved ones abroad, and
you receive an SMS confirming your transaction, telling you that your money is on its
way. Your recipient also gets an SMS, complete with a special code they'll need when
they pick up the cash. It's like a secret code to unlock their funds.
But that's not all. The SMS magic extends to security. When you log into your wave
account, you might get a little SMS pop-up with a unique code. It's like an extra layer
of protection, making sure only you can access your account. Plus, if there's ever a
question about your transaction, or if there's a need for more information, Sendwave
doesn't leave you hanging. You'll get another friendly SMS.
Here's the best part: wave knows life can get busy, so if your recipient doesn't pick up
the money within the time frame (usually 7 days), you'll get an SMS reminder. It's like
a helpful nudge to make sure your money gets to the right hands.
All in all, wave's SMS experience is like having a trusty friend who keeps you in the
loop, keeps your transactions secure, and ensures your money is where it should
be – with your loved ones. It's just one of the ways Sendwave makes sending
3
USER-FRIENDLY INTERFACE
wave's user-friendly interface makes sending money easy. The mobile app is designed with
simplicity in mind, making it accessible for users of all tech levels. You can easily navigate
through the app to initiate transactions.
you can see precisely how much the recipient will receive in their local currency. With
SMS verification codes and secure authentication, your account is kept safe, and SMS
notifications provide essential updates at every step of the process. It's a hassle-free
and user-friendly platform for international money transfers.
EASY REGISTRATION
The registration process with wave is typically a straightforward and user-friendly
experience. To get started, users download the wave mobile app and follow a few
simple steps to create their account. During registration, they are required to provide
their basic personal information, such as their name and contact details. Sendwave
may also prompt users to complete identity verification procedures, which usually
involve uploading identification documents to comply with Know Your Customer
(KYC) requirements.
4
The app guides users through each step, ensuring that the process is intuitive and
accessible for a broad range of users. Overall, Sendwave's registration process is
designed to be efficient and secure, making it easy for users to initiate international
COMPANY SELECTION
WHY WAVE ?
When it comes to choosing the company, we turned to wave for multiple reasons,
mainly because it is the first financial services network with no account management
fees, available instantly and everywhere in a continent where the average banking rate
is close to 50%.
the quality of the service that wave has that leads us to a potential implementation of
the structure at the level of Gabon.
Wave, whose market share is growing a little more on the continent, particularly in
West Africa in countries such as Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Mali as well as Senegal.
To have some figures of the company we will base ourselves on these data: The
company recorded a turnover of 377.1 billion CFA francs in Senegal, at the end of
September 2021. It is up by 11.2 billion compared to the same period in 2020. This
increase can be explained by the growth of prepaid mobile (+10%) and fixed (+20%).
5
OPARATIONAL
CONSIDERATIONS :
THE OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES
Wave-mobile money faces a range of operational challenges that can vary based on factors
such as regional dynamics, competition, regulatory constraints, and customer demands. Key
among these challenges are regulatory compliance, where strict anti-money laundering,
consumer protection, and data security regulations necessitate significant efforts and
expenditures. Effective risk management is crucial to mitigate financial transaction-related
risks, such as fraud and financial loss.
Additionally, the competitive landscape in the mobile financial services sector demands
continuous innovation for Wave-mobile money to stay competitive. Ensuring accessible and
affordable financial services for underserved populations, especially in rural areas, poses
another significant challenge.
Robust technology infrastructure and data security are vital for maintaining transaction
reliability and user confidentiality. User education is essential to ensure efficient and secure
service usage, and forming strategic partnerships with other companies and institutions can
extend its service reach, albeit with its own set of challenges. Ongoing investments in fraud
and cyber security measures are necessary to combat ever-present threats. Lastly, ensuring
scalability to meet growing demand is a priority for Wave-mobile money. Proactive
management of these operational challenges is imperative to sustain success and relevance
in the mobile financial services market.
6
Physical points of sale are managed by Wave-mobile Money, encompassing location
management, staff training, and cash provisioning.
The company also maintains an effective distribution network through partnerships with
local agents for cash top-ups. Data security is paramount, with implemented firewalls,
encryption protocols, and anti-fraud measures. Additionally, Wave-mobile Money systems
may require integration with various financial institutions, partners, and regulators, ensuring
regulatory compliance with local and international financial services regulations. A
comprehensive assessment of this infrastructure is indispensable for ensuring security,
reliability, and operational efficiency, with the need for regular updates to align with evolving
business needs and industry requirements.
FINANCIAL INCLUSION
CHALLENGES
Wave is facing several challenges, in a context where the security of users is to be considered
it is no less for this company which has taken drastic measures to put an end to scams,
abusive additional fees rampant at several Wave mobile Money points in order to retain and
secure the confidential information of its users once again the cybersecurity of data
intervenes. It will also have to turn to a digitalization of the process in order to further
facilitate financial inclusion.
OPORTUNITIES
This service offers several advantages for users, such as small-scale informal sector
businesses and the many unbanked individuals who benefit from these services. Making
these types of services accessible to people with low purchasing power represents a great
opportunity for the company. On the other hand, we also have the Vegetable Cultures Society
(VCS) based in Saint-Louis, Senegal, which is a privileged customer of the mass payment
platform via Wave. This has significantly reduced the payment delays for its employees
through mass payments in just a few clicks, offering an opportunity for both business owners
and consumers in this operation.
7
MARKET ANALYSIS
In order to select an effective strategy for implementing WAVE in Gabon, we must
first conduct a comprehensive market analysis across Africa. This analysis will help us
identify the leading players in the banking sector, assess the various partnership
excessive competition is taking place at the level of local and foreign banks
"Nigeria and Egypt are among the 7 countries in the world in which more than half of
adults do not have bank accounts, according to a recent World Bank report titled "The
Global Findex Database 2021: Financial inclusion, digital Payments, and resilience in
the age of covid-19." (source, rapport de la banque mondiale)
8
Among the banks that dominate the African banking sector, we find South African,
Nigerian and Egyptian banks at the top of the list.
9
account for 22%. However, when it comes to the number of accounts opened in
banks, the situation varies: UGB occupies 1st place with 36% of bank accounts
opened
Thus, in the corporate segment, BGFI dominates the market with more than 3,000
corporate clients and 47% of the market share of corporate deposits. Ecobank and
UBA have 3,900 and 1,650 corporate clients respectively, but each has only 4% of the
corporate deposit market share
17.7% compared to 2021, reveals Disrupt Africa in the fourth edition of its biannual
report Finnovating for Africa: Reimagining the African Financial Services Landscape, a
kind of dive into the African fintech ecosystem whose results are just published. The
sector has been experiencing a continuous boom for several years, with many
creations, but also the development of these entities that have become key in the
Tech sphere.
10
"African fintech is at its peak, advancing financial inclusion and fueling the business
revolution underway on the continent," say Tom Jackson and Gabriella Mulligan, co-
founder of Disrupt Africa who have been conducting this study since 2017.
has been dethroned. With its 270 entities, Nigeria is now the market with the most
fintech in Africa, followed by the country of Nelson Mandela (140 companies) and
Kenya (102 companies). This top three alone is home to 67.7% of Africa's fintech
startups, In terms of evolution, Egypt (+66.7%) and Nigeria (+50%) are the two African
countries that have seen the most fintech creations over the last two years. The
experts also identified the emergence of three new markets: Burkina Faso, Lesotho
and Namibia ».
out, as 41.6% of these funds were raised by fintechs based in Aliko Dangote's country
It is in this environment that Wave has positioned itself as a leader in fintech in
Senegal and Ivory Coast.
11
FINTECH SECTOR IN GABON
Unlike the rest of the CEMAC area, which has lagged behind in the development of
mobile money, Gabon was won over by this revolution very early on. 43% of the
population over the age of 15 had an account in 2017.
According to a recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the new
programme with Gabon, it appears that the country saw its volume of mobile money
payments increase sixfold in 2020, due to Covid-19
This mobile money sector, which was already well present in Gabon, has grown even
more since the covid19 pandemic. the market is dominated by Gabon
telecom(1600000 users) followed by Airtel.
But when it comes to mobile money, only Gabon telecom and Airtel are competing
with each other, and it is Airtel that is by a short margin in the lead
It must be said that in the shadow of these two mobile money giants, Airtel and
Gabon telecom, there are still Gabonese fintechs that are emerging but which are still
struggling to penetrate the local market, we can mention: e-doley; capay; macarte;
fedha.
12
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND FINANCIAL
INCLUSION IN GABON
Gabon has a population of 2,300,000 inhabitants. 65% of them are under 35 years
old. This means that also 95% of them have a mobile phone, and 99% have a mobile
money account. The banking rate is 35% in Gabon, while the average rate in Africa is
10%.
In gabon 83% of people are connected to the internet. This is due to the fact that
80% of the population lives in urban areas, making it one of the highest urbanization
rates in Africa. For example, 60% of all Gabonese people live in just two cities,
Libreville and Port Gentil.
The number of people without a bank account is so high (65%) that mobile money
fact, 65% of people have both a Mobicash account (Gabon Telecom) and an Airtel
Money account (Airtel).
The Fintech market has grown significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching a
payment volume of $624 million in 2020 in Gabon, a 666% increase. Apart from
Gabon Telecom and Airtel, there are other Gabonese Fintech companies that exist
but struggle to compete in a market largely dominated by the two giants. Some of
these Fintechs include E-doley, Capay, Macarte, Fedha, and others.
13
SWOT ANALYSIS
PESTEL ANALYSIS
14
Entry Strategy:
Wave's entry strategy into the Gabonese market should revolve around service
involves forming a strategic partnership with the mobile operator Moov Africa Gabon
Telecom. This partnership will enable Wave to leverage its expertise and benefit from
Moov's existing network, customer base, and local market experience.
secure financial transactions. Gabonese consumers value trust and reliability in their
financial dealings, necessitating WAVE to prioritize transparency and security in its
services. Moreover, recognizing the trends of urbanization and digitalization in Gabon,
where a significant urban population has internet access, presents an opportunity
for WAVE to tailor its services to tech-savvy urban dwellers. Conducting effective
awareness campaigns and collaborating with local influencers and organizations are
crucial steps in sensitizing the Gabonese population to the benefits of WAVE's secure
and efficient money transfer platform, ultimately fostering trust and a successful
market entry.
15
STRATEGIC ADVANTAGES
Wave should leverage several strategic advantages for a successful entry into the
Gabonese market. Firstly, Wave can adopt a "green" strategy by aligning with Moov
Africa Gabon Telecom's existing financial transaction process, eliminating the need
to establish a separate entity. This approach simplifies the market entry process and
minimizes operational complexities. Additionally, Wave can differentiate itself by
offering the ability to transfer money beyond Gabon's borders, a unique feature
absent in competing services like Airtel Gabon. Lower transaction fees, such as the
1% fee on cash withdrawals compared to the 3% offered by competitors, will be an
Cost-effective Farmer-friendly
transaction low
fees. rates
evolving regulations, security and privacy concerns, the relatively low connection
rate on a continental scale, and limited telephone coverage in certain areas of Gabon
and Africa. Moreover, our reliance on the local telephone network, the absence of
direct access to mobile telephony, and our dependence on banks for certain
aspects of our services also present unique risks. By diligently assessing these
threats and developing robust contingency plans, we can proactively address these
16
Regulatory challenges
The rapid development of the financial technology (Fintech) sector in Gabon raises
systems.
It is of paramount importance to note that these obligations can be complex for start-
ups to fulfill, often leading these entities to establish partnerships with authorized
issuing institutions for the issuance and distribution of electronic money. It is worth
emphasizing that the issuance of electronic money cannot be delegated to technical
operators.
17
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
In parallel with the regulations related to electronic money issuance, banks and
payment institutions are required to notify the Central Bank before introducing new
recommendations. The information dossier required for a new project must contain
Source : Before anything else, preparation is the key to success”–Alexander Graham Bell
18
Market expansion plan
EXPANSION STRATEGY OF WAVE IN GABON:
customer base, particularly in urban areas where 80% of the population resides. This
urban concentration aligns well with Gabon's high urbanization rates, offering a fertile
ground for Wave's expansion. Additionally, this partnership allows Wave to tap into
Moov Africa Gabon Telecom's local market expertise, crucial for navigating Gabon's
growing Fintech market, marked by a 666% increase in payment volume during the
COVID-19 pandemic. As Gabon's Fintech market continues to evolve, this
RESOURCES NEEDED
To execute this strategy effectively, Wave should allocate resources judiciously. This
includes conducting training programs for Moov Africa Gabon Telecom's personnel,
ensuring that they are well-versed in Wave's technologies and can provide optimal
support to users. Developing a robust marketing plan that emphasizes the unique
benefits of Wave's services is crucial to gaining market traction. Additionally,
conducting user education campaigns to explain how the services work, especially
for those using SIM cards for the first time, will enhance the adoption rate and ensure
users understand the value Wave brings.
19
Innovations of wave
Wave has made a significant impact in the financial services landscape by
introducing a substantial rate drop, reducing customers' money transfer fees to just
user-friendly application, has enabled Wave to rapidly gain market share in Ivory
Coast since its introduction in April 2021. The integration with popular messaging
platforms has streamlined money transfers, contributing to financial inclusion by
serving unbanked or underserved populations. The company's partnerships with local
businesses facilitate salary and invoice payments, enhancing the ease of conducting
transactions. Additionally, Wave offers a range of financial services beyond money
transfers, including phone credit purchases and online invoice payments, making it a
versatile and convenient platform for various financial needs. their commitment to
financial education and money management awareness demonstrates their
offers diverse financial services beyond transfers, including phone credit and online
invoices. Plus, Wave prioritizes financial education, empowering users.
20
Conclusion :
In closing, our report paves the way for Wave's exciting journey into the Gabonese
market, a path illuminated by a partnership with Moov Africa Gabon Telecom. This
wallet-friendly transaction fees, and farmer-friendly offerings set the stage for an
unforgettable financial experience.
What's more, the report reminds us that this adventure isn't just about Gabon – it's
about seizing leadership across the vast African financial landscape. Our references
stand as pillars of evidence for the path ahead. With this strategy, Wave is not just
opening doors to financial services; it's ushering in a new era of empowerment,
inclusion, and innovation for the Gabonese populace. Buckle up; it's going to be an
exhilarating ride!
20
References
Publication Title: "Preliminary Authorizations for Launching a Fintech in French-
Speaking Africa?"
Published by: Kadder Ismael Toure
Category: Fintech
Wave Mobile Money: The first Fintech operating in multiple WAEMU countries
to obtain an E-money license
Coura Sene on April 21, 2022
Thursday, April 21, 2022, Dakar