Use Super Apps to Support Financial Inclusion

Investing in super apps can support financial inclusion, promote transparency and accountability, enhance tax collection, as well as enable companies, large and small, to increase their global reach, says Strycen Williams, Product Manager, MC Systems.

Ms. Williams says super apps are better than mobile wallets because they allow for digital payments while offering services such as: bill payments, ride payments, remittance transactions, mobile top ups, e-commerce transactions, messaging, social networking and peer-to-peer transactions. She said the use of super apps should be embraced by government services and businesses, especially as Jamaica moves towards becoming a fully digital economy.

“Everyone speaks about digital transformation, and with the super app you can support financial inclusion. With it you can promote transparency and accountability, as well as enhance tax collection. Most of our government agencies have websites, but with the super app you can place the power of your service in the customer’s hands,” she explained.

A super app is a mobile or web application that can provide multiple services, including payment and financial transaction processing, which can also be used for commerce and communication, which has multiple benefits for personal and commercial life.

Ms. Williams said super apps are beneficial to society because they can provide real time data for both companies and customers to make informed decisions about their finances.

“Super apps allow for data analytics for both the customer and the vendor. As we move towards a digital Jamaica and a cashless society, a super app can enable that process because it enables them to see the numbers on the go, so they can make smart decisions in relation to spending or using services,” she revealed.

Miss Williams was speaking at the E—Gov Technology Showcase at the AC Hotel on November 29. The event was held under the theme “Digital Transformation Doing I.T. Right!”

The product manager noted that the super app could also help schools and the health sector by allowing students and patients to pay tuition and access health services.

“With the super app you can  streamline fee payments. Imagine not having to go on each school’s website but going through a central site on the app to pay tuition fees for schools across Jamaica with your transaction being secure. It provides excellent tracking for students and teachers, if needed and excellent bursary administration,” she noted.

“In the case of the health sector it enables you to increase operational efficiency, decrease the cost of operating and can even be used to improve mobile operating services,” she added.

Ms. Williams emphasized that MC Systems currently has a super app that could allow all government agencies to offer their services in one centralized location. She revealed that an added feature of the MC Systems’ super app was that it had fully integrated the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and is linked to bank accounts which could be utilized by Jamaicans.

The tech advocate explained that in the case of businesses such as financial institutions and MSMEs, the super app offered a wide range of possibilities to help improve customer service and the ability to do business with customers across the globe.

“Financial institutions can increase accessibility to new and emerging markets which will mean they are not restricted to Jamaica. It also allows them to enhance their transactions, improve efficiency, reduce cash handling and speeds up modernization,” she explained.

“For businesses, a super app allows you to have a personal tool for optimising financial operation and improve check out speed. The super app also allows MSMEs to improve their processes and enables them to do business anywhere across the globe,” she added.

She noted that the technology should be embraced because of the possibilities that it offers Jamaicans to do business and improve efficiency.

“To become a truly digital society we need to start. This is the most important part of the journey because it will ensure that we do IT right,” she stated.