when you run big business SCALABITY is more important than margins.
You're pushing volumes. Not margins. Multplication. Not addition.
That is why Ndengwa is there with his fast moving good experience.
You can make more from 200k agents
Or make even more from billion of transactions.
MPESA is going for scalability.
The 6B profit they made from Fuliza was zero three years ago.
Many companies including kengen would die for 6B profit.
Hustler fund may give them another 6B profit
That in two products is crazy money.
Safaricom core business was voice - now it's mpesa.
And m-pesa is to look for anything that can bring as many transactions as possible with a little cost as possible.
All these algorithm based lending and betting are holy grail of safaricom. Just servers working magic and making them money with zero humans.
Two issues.
(1) You cannot disregard M-pesa agents.Safaricom paid them I think over 30BN last year from commissions,I don't know how they share profits but I think it made more than 30BN profit from these agents.So your argument doesn't hold.
(2) On the issue of Safaricom being a payment platform.I think you need to understand agents make more money than Lipa na M-pesa platform. AGENT WITHDRAWAL IS MORE PROFITABLE THAN DIGITAL TRANSACTION.
(3) Banks and online platforms.Nowadays I can use PayPal to send money to my equity Bank account and withdrawal that money in any equity agent outlet.Whats my point? safaricom doesn't have monopoly in digital payment solutions.you have other players like sendwave PayPal world remitt and banks like equity which offer payment solutions.Infact nowadays I can even send money from KCB to NCBA using my phone and completely bypass Safaricom.so you are overating it.
(4) I think out of 500BN Fuliza loans, safaricom profit is I think 5BN annually.As a percentage of Mpesa agent revenue,How much is it?
STOP THIS ARGUMENT PUNDIT.You are exposing your stupidity.