Sybase 365 and MobiKash Afrika Launch African Mobile Commerce Solution

Enabling mCommerce Between Enterprises, Government and Public Utilities And Africa’s Under-Serviced Communities

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – NOVEMBER 11, 2009 – AFRICACOM — Sybase 365, a subsidiary of Sybase, Inc. (NYSE: SY), the global leader in mobile messaging and mobile commerce, today announced its partnership with MobiKash Afrika, an independent Kenyan mobile commerce services provider, to deliver the first intra-region, mobile network and bank agnostic, mobile commerce solution for East and Southern Africa.

The companies will deliver mCommerce solutions to increase the current level of financial inclusion of the unbanked and semi-banked, via a greatly simplified registration process for opening mobile wallets, as well as rapid bank account opening processes. An individual’s accessibility to financial institutions – whether banks, micro-finance institutions (MFIs) or savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs) – is significantly increased while offering tailored financial products beyond the now mainstream person-to-person mobile money transfer services found in Africa. The mCommerce services are designed for major enterprises, small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs), cooperatives, insurance, medical and pension schemes, schools, disbursement channels, government agencies and international remittance channels.

“Integrating financial institutions and other stakeholders into a single mobile commerce platform makes it a great deal easier for individuals, governments and businesses to manage finances. The ultimate goal is to also make it effortless for people to progress towards opening a fully integrated bank account,” said Duncan Otieno, CEO of MobiKash Afrika. “As the most comprehensive of its type in the world, the Sybase 365 Mobiliser platform has the track record and robust functionality required to ensure the project’s success.”

The initial deployment is being piloted this year in Kenya with a combination of banks, MFIs and bill issuers utilizing USSD as the mobile communication channel. In parallel, the MobiKash business model is being established in various other COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) territories where several project contracts have already been signed and deployment work has commenced.

“The MobiKash project represents a significant step forward in delivering the necessary integrated infrastructure required to ensure that the unbanked can now move towards seamless transactions via an exceptionally advanced mCommerce portal service,” said Matthew Talbot, vice president, mCommerce, Sybase 365. “With many similar projects already being deployed by Sybase 365, the African continent will eventually become an integrated single mCommerce ecosystem using a common architecture and product set.”

Source: Sybase, Inc.