Understanding the M-ASCA Model
M-ASCA is a virtual Microfinance model that allows members to accumulate savings and borrow up to three times their savings after one month using social social networks as guarantors from anyplace in the country. M-ASCA targets every adult Kenyan irrespective of their background (youths, women, small scale business people, the unemployed, private institutions etc.) who may not hold any collateral and are interested in saving in order to access capital for investment, business startups, old age savings or any other viable need.
Key Features
- Open to all Kenyans of adult age
- Mobile phone based registration
- Anytime anywhere transactions
- Paperless
- Individual or group saving, borrowing, guaranteeing and authorization by signatories on the phone
- Can submit as little as Ksh 50 anytime
- Equitel and Safaricom access
- Use of social networks as guarantors anywhere in the country
- platform on both USSD for lower end phones and an app for smartphones
- Creates a Kenyan Virtual community
M-ASCA’s Aim
M-ASCAs aim is to dignify the Base of the Pyramid populations through a credit and loan association that unleashes the potential of members through their active participation, freedom associated with convenience and transparency occasioned by real-time update of transactions; hence the slogan: Financial Inclusion with Dignity.
Security of the Money
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Registered as a SACCO and therefore regulated
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System based Real-time update of transactions
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Safaricom paybill and Equitel m-banking infrastructure
Structure
M-ASCA virtual SACCO is a project of Mama Promotions Women Group that uses the M-ASCA mobile money platform for all its operations.
The M-ASCA model is an innovation of Dr. Martina Mutheu Mulwa, a lecturer at the University of Nairobi. She has over five years experience in mobile money in Competence, Research and Practice (Her Profile can be viewed on google scholar) .
Day to day activities are overseen by members of Mama Promotions women group and operations are by professionals in each area.
The system is maintained by Tangazoletu Ltd, an ICT Company in Kenya that was behing the Lipa Na M-pesa Innovation.