Vodafone, Citigroup in mobile remittance venture

Vodafone and Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking's Global Transaction Services business today announce their plan to launch a Vodafone-branded mobile-based international money transfer service targeting the global remittance market worldwide. The new service will provide senders and receivers of money with a superior method for sending money home that is convenient, cost-effective, secure, transparent, and easy to use.

This initiative couples Vodafone's global reach, brand recognition and operational mobile money transfer service with Citigroup's worldwide network, unrivalled international payments capabilities and existing global remittance solution. It builds upon Vodafone's recent successful pilot of the M-PESA mobile money transfer service by its affiliate in Kenya, Safaricom.

It is anticipated that Vodafone customers in the United Kingdom will have the first opportunity to use the service to send money to Kenya on a trial basis and both parties plan to launch commercially, with a focus on Eastern European and Asian markets, such as Poland and India, in the near future.

Uniquely, the product being developed will allow the remitter and the beneficiary to choose from a range of options as to how the money is sent and received. The sender can initiate the transfer using either a mobile phone or a secure Internet website to give instructions on where to send the funds. The funds will be able to be received in a bank or through the receiver's mobile phone in the form of a voucher and secure PIN that will enable the receiver to redeem the cash at a wide range of outlets, typically the airtime distribution points operated by the in-country mobile network service provider. For these latter services, the beneficiary of funds does not need to have a bank account, will have a wide range of locations to collect the funds and only has to be in the possession of a mobile phone that can receive an SMS on any mobile network.

Enabling money to be transferred internationally from person to person using mobile technology is set to greatly assist the flow of funds from migrant workers back to their families. Migrant remittance is an important source of income in many developing countries - indeed the United Nations estimates that it involves some 191 million migrants and the World Bank estimates it has a total annual worldwide value of USD268 billion. For some individual recipient countries remittances can be as high as a third of GDP.

Alan Harper, Director for Group Strategy and New Business, at Vodafone said: "This agreement with Citigroup has the potential to create a step change in global remittance services and one in which the mobile service provider plays a central role. Vodafone's international brand recognition and our successful trial of M-PESA in Kenya combined with Citigroup's global remittance service and international financial reach, enables us to offer an extremely competitive product compared to conventional remittance solutions available today."

Michael Joseph, CEO of Safaricom in Kenya said: "Safaricom and Vodafone's M-PESA mobile money transfer service is an example of Africa leading the world in the advancement of mobile technology and its uses. In Kenya, we have been testing the response to mobile-based payments services and we believe that there is a great deal to be gained for the consumer as well as for mobile and financial sector companies. This opportunity with Vodafone and Citigroup to extend the offering to support international remittances can benefit not only Kenyans, but also the greater population of migrant workers across the world."

Francesco Vanni d'Archirafi, Region Head of Citigroup Global Transaction Services for Europe, Middle East and Africa and Chairman of Citibank Europe plc, said: "The combination of Vodafone's international mobile network and Citigroup's global footprint will create a solution that will benefit communities that use money transfer services worldwide. We are proud to be using our global distribution network and cross-border payment capabilities to provide migrant workers with a cheaper and more secure way of sending money."

About Vodafone

Vodafone is the world's leading international mobile telecommunications group with equity interests in 25 countries across 5 continents as at 31 December 2006, as well as 35 partner networks. Vodafone announced it had over 200 million proportionate customers worldwide at the end of January 2007. For further information, please visit www.vodafone.com

About Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking

Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking is the most complete financial partner to corporations, financial institutions, institutional investors and governments in the world. As a global leader in banking, capital markets, and transaction services, with a presence in many countries dating back more than 100 years, Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking enables clients to achieve their strategic financial objectives by providing them with cutting-edge ideas, best-in-class products and solutions, and unparalleled access to capital and liquidity.

About Citigroup

Citigroup (NYSE: C), the leading global financial services company has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Major brand names under Citigroup's trademark red umbrella include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney and Banamex. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com

About Safaricom

SAFARICOM LTD is the leading provider of communications services in Kenya, offering cellular network access and business solutions. SAFARICOM LTD was formed in 1997 and in May 2000, Vodafone group Plc acquired a stake and management responsibility for the company. The Company has since emerged as one of the fastest growing companies in Kenya. The Company is still aggressively expanding the market network throughout the country and developing strategic business relationships with leading global telecommunication players which help in ensuring that Safaricom has access to the world's latest technology to maintain its market leadership.

About M-PESA

Vodafone's M-PESA, a mobile financial remittance product which allows users to send credit, which can be redeemed as cash at specified outlets, is already operational in Kenya, and Vodafone is currently beginning a cross-border trial between the UK and Kenya. In addition, the M-PESA product is also being trialled in Afghanistan. M-PESA was initially developed using part funding from the UK Government Department for International Development (DFID) under the Financial Deepening Challenge Fund Initiative.

About the Global Remittance Industry

According to the World Bank, recorded remittances sent home by migrants from developing countries are expected to reach $199 billion in 2006, up from $188 billion in 2005, and more than double the level in 2001. Worldwide flows of remittances, including those to high-income countries, are estimated to have to grown to $268 billion in 2006.

In the World Bank report: "General Principles for International Remittance Services", March 2006, the report states in the Introduction and Executive Summary:

"The flow of funds from migrant workers back to their families in their home country is an important source of income in many developing economies. The recipients often depend on remittances to cover day-to-day living expenses, to provide a cushion against emergencies or, in some cases, as funds for making small investments.

"For some individual recipient countries, remittances can be as high as a third of GDP. Remittances also now account for about a third of total global external finance; moreover, the flow of remittances seems to be significantly more stable than that of other forms of external finance.

"However, remittances can be expensive relative to the often low incomes of migrant workers and to the rather small amounts sent (typically no more than a few hundred dollars or its equivalent at a time). Also, it may not be easy for migrants to access remittance services if they do not speak the local language or do not have the necessary documentation, while the relatively undeveloped financial infrastructure in some countries may make it difficult for recipients to collect the remittances. In some cases, the services are unreliable, particularly concerning the time taken for the funds to be transferred."