This week Barclays bank in the UK launched “Pingit”, a new service that allows their customers to send money via their mobile phone to third parties using just a mobile number for the recipient.
The service was launched amid much fanfare as being something “new”. However MPesa, has operated the same service very successfully, in Kenya, Tanzania and Afghanistan, since way back in 2007 (just on 5 years ago) as this short video made in 2009 shows.
Other banks in South Africa and elsewhere have been offering the same service for the past three years at least.
Which raises the question: Who really are the innovators?
