OTC: A Digital Stepping Stone, or a Dead End Path?

25 Pages Posted: 3 Sep 2016

Date Written: August 11, 2016

Abstract

The digital finance industry is both young and dynamic, and, as it grows, it is constantly innovating to address the issues it faces. One of the contemporary issues of discussion is over-the-counter (OTC) transactions. The delivery of mobile money over the counter, raises a number of questions around the fact that it can limit product evolution; can decrease provider profitability; and can lead to unregistered transactions, which run the risk of money laundering and terrorism financing.

In this paper, we want to look more closely at these questions and, with the help of data from The Helix Institute, InterMedia and the GSMA, provide an analytical perspective on the pros and cons of the OTC model. This will allow us to propose some recommendations on how to manage OTC going forward. We begin by defining a common ground for the discussion by creating a simple typology of different types of OTC. Then we look into the different questions raised by the OTC model. In the third section, we take a stand, arguing that certain types of OTC should be seen as a stepping stone to mobile money account adoption and usage. Lastly, we present our conclusions and recommendations to move the industry forward, given the data presented and some of the new developments in the field.

Keywords: mobile money, digital finance, over-the-counter transactions, economics, finance, fintech

Suggested Citation

McCaffrey, Mike and Wright, Graham and Singh, Anup, OTC: A Digital Stepping Stone, or a Dead End Path? (August 11, 2016). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2833339 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2833339

Mike McCaffrey (Contact Author)

Ulana Insights ( email )

United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.ulana-insights.com

Graham Wright

MicroSave ( email )

B-52, Mahanagar Extension
Kapoorthala
Lucknow
India

Anup Singh

MicroSave ( email )

B-52, Mahanagar Extension
Kapoorthala
Lucknow
India

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