Mobile banking continues to spread throughout Etisalat's global footprint

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, December 9, 2013

Etisalat Group, the leading telecoms operator in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, announced today the expansion of its award winning mobile phone-based commerce service "Flous" through its subsidiary Etisalat Moov in Benin.

"As Flous comes online throughout our international operations millions of our customers can benefit from world-class financial services - many for the first time," said Khalifa Al Shamsi, Chief Digital Services Officer at Etisalat Group. "By bringing banking to the unbanked, we are investing in communities and giving them the tools to flourish and thrive.

This is especially relevant for Benin as the market for financial services has yet to fully mature. So it will be exciting to see the impact on society when this innovative new product takes off."

Flous, which means "money" and is known as Flooz in Benin, enables customers who sign up to use their mobile phones like digital wallets to pay for goods and services, transfer money to the friends and family members, withdraw and deposit cash, top up mobile phones and manage bank accounts.

Customers can also use their mobile phones as debit cards and manage funds directly from their handsets. The service, offered in partnership with "Banque Atlantique du Bénin", is designed to be secure and flexible - requiring a password for each transaction - and gives customers instant access to money 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Service can be accessed on even the most basic mobile handset.

"Flous has been designed to spread financial participation with no fuss. As soon as the customer signs up, he has access to an entire portfolio of services," Mr Al Shamsi said. "The convenience and simplicity of the product has enabled it to win international awards and now it is achieving real success on the ground."

This year, for the second year in a row, Flous was presented with the "Best Mobile Money Product" award at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Earlier this year, the service also received a special commendation from the Financial Times and the World Bank for the 2013 Global Sustainable Finance award in the category "Technology in Sustainable Finance".

 "By launching Flous, we are delighted to offer the unbanked in Benin a fundamental tool for economic and social development," said Ben Cheick Haidara, the Managing Director of Etisalat Benin. "All of our customers throughout the country will benefit tremendously as the service is rolled out."

Etisalat currently serves 144 million customers in 15 countries throughout the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

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About Etisalat:
Strong commitment to excellence and innovation has seen Etisalat become one of the world's fastest-growing telecom groups, rapidly expanding across Asia and Africa. Its UAE operations, strategically located at the crossroads of East and West, enables Etisalat to be the major hub in the Middle East for Internet, voice, broadcast, roaming and corporate data services. Etisalat has been recognised as 'Best Operator' 10 times since 2006 and 'Best Wholesale Provider' four times in the last three years. Servicing 144 million customers in 15 countries Etisalat continues to reach out to new customers and markets.

For more information:
Etisalat Media Desk
E: gyoussef@etisalat.ae
F: +9712 632 4223
M. +97150220965
www.etisalat.com

© Press Release 2013