Indeed, there are already around 50 smaller banks, credit unions and building societies that are able to offer fast payments to their customers using the aggregators. Similarly, it is not necessary for non-financial institutions that want to use the real-time capability of the NPP to participate directly in clearing and settlement.
According to a McKinsey study (Beshouri and Gravråk, 2010), bringing financial services to the unbanked is a strategic shift for mobile operators as it presents significant commercial potential. Research4 shows that about one billion people in emerging markets have a mobile phone but no access to banking services.