Telcos seize payment rails

Updated: 2025.07.07 8M ago 1 sources
Because telecoms run wallet systems, regulators rethink banking-centric financial oversight. Consumer protection, competition, and AML frameworks must adapt to agent networks and USSD-based transfers outside traditional banks. — It shifts regulatory power and market structure in finance, raising questions about supervision, interoperability mandates, and the role of nonbanks in critical payment infrastructure.

Sources

There are now more than half a billion mobile money accounts in the world, mostly in Africa — here's why this matters
Simon van Teutem 2025.07.07 100% relevant
The article explains mobile-money accounts operate via USSD/SMS and retail agents rather than bank branches, with majority adoption concentrated in Africa.
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