USSD *134*3042#
Written by Shingai KotiNovember 30, 2021

Introducing paperless remitting for South Africa

USSD *134*3042#
*134*3042#

30.11.2021. The launch of a new USSD based remittance service for clients in South Africa by Access Forex could not be better timed.

Christmas time is when many Zimbabweans living in South Africa go home to spend time with their loved ones, usually returning to South Africa just after New Years to resume work and fend for their families. Following the detection of the Omicron variant, Ndumiso Chuma, like many other Zimbabweans is weighing up his options; “I work as a gardener in Wynberg, and my biggest fear is that if they decide to do a lockdown, I won’t be able to go back to Cape town and then what happens to my son’s school fees needed in January? I can’t risk it, better to stay.”

Using *134*3042#, it is now possible to send money to Zimbabwe from a cellphone. All you need is a South African line and network. The USSD uses zero data.

You can register, select beneficiaries, and initiate the transaction all without leaving your home or place of work. For those without bank accounts yet, the USSD allows them to complete the transaction by paying in the cash amount at any PEP, Shoprite, Game, USave, House & Home, Ackermans, Checkers, PicknPay, SPAR, Boxers or Makro. It makes remittance completely paperless and works with any type of handset. Effectively this means that you avoid queues and paperwork normally associated with cash pay-ins. The system will generate a code known as an SCode, and you simply proceed with this to any of the partner stores, submit the SCode to a teller there, together with the cash amount and your receiver gets their money in Zimbabwe, instantly.

To this end, the new channel of distribution will be launched today in a bid to make remittance products and services available and affordable to a larger number of Zimbabweans living anywhere in South Africa.

The head of sales & marketing for Access Forex, Shingai J. Koti, explained that the technological addition from the company is geared towards enhancing customers’ experience and ease of remittance transactions under the stable of Access Forex. She further added that the company will constantly look for ways in delighting its customers both in the diaspora and at home.

#omicron #PEP #Shoprite #Game, #USave, #House & Home, #Ackermans, #Checkers, #Pick nPay, #SPAR, #Boxers or #Makro #christmas #zimbabwe #diaspora #remittances

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Written by TendaiNovember 23, 2021

Christmas On Access Forex

It’s a Mheee-rry Christmas with Access Forex

As far as Access Forex is concerned, this festive season is a G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time). This is a huge claim for a fluffy animal, but Access Forex has positioned this little 4-legged creature to “change the way we Christmas”.
Through an exciting new Campaign it has called “Mheee-rry Christmas”. Clients sending $30 or more with the well-known money transfer company stand a chance to win a live goat. While Access is encouraging winners to feast and have a braai, this promotion also presents a very clear opportunity for those with an entrepreneurial spirit.
“Many of our clients have families who depend on them not just for a Christmas feast but also the school fees and bills that follow in January, so this promotion means that if you plan your remittances well, your family will have a sustainable way of taking care of themselves and supplementing the hard-earned money sent from the diaspora”, said Access Forex Head of Sales & Marketing, Shingai Koti.

The demand for goat meat is increasing. People want to try a different type of meat other than beef, chicken or pork. Since goats eat a variety of foods, they are easy to keep and are very profitable. The feed costs for goats are also low. All you need to start a goat business is land, reliable source of clean water and good housing with proper ventilation. The local market for goats has grown considerable. One can supply goat meat goats to companies, individuals, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, abattoirs and butcheries. As a country Zimbabwe is not yet producing enough goats that fully utilise the export market. Apart from the local market one can also export goats to other countries such as United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Angola and Kuwait.
The Access Forex promotion is running for clients in South Africa, Zimbabwe and the UK from the 15th of November 2021 to the 31st of December 2021 with winners announced weekly. The more one sends, the more chances of winning.
Whether you win one GOAT or several, Access Forex has you covered this festive season, and beyond.

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Festive Season Promotion Terms & Conditions

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Access Forex loyalty club
Written by Shingai KotiJune 22, 2021

Access Forex unveils cash back loyalty club for the UK

Top 150 receive free points

Zimbabwean headquartered money transfer and remittance company, Access Forex has launched a loyalty club for the UK. Within a year, clients sending money from the UK to Zimbabwe can get up to £60 (USD 85) of their money back.

This loyalty program is like many others, in the sense that customers can earn points with each transfer. Access Forex’s Loyalty Club is wholly unique, however, in its attitude and understanding of exactly who its customers are. This club is for people who want to get the most out of every Pound they earn. Clients can redeem points on their next transaction or even cash out when they move from one level to the next. The club will also give members access to free investment and retirement advisory services. The brochure for the program also mentions that there are “surprises” in-store when clients move up the various levels.

“For a company as young as we are to be launching a loyalty program says a lot about how passionate and reliable our clients have been from the beginning.  We wanted to reward that.” Said Richard Stocks, UK country manager. “The program’s tagline ‘Sharing is Caring’ is meant to make members know that we understand how much they sacrifice to send money home and we want to share that responsibility. Any savings we are enjoying by them giving us repeat business, we pass on to our clients. It’s a double bonus for them because we are really rewarding them for something they are doing already.”

The rules of the program are simple, clients earn 10 points every time they send money to Zimbabwe. For every 100 points, customers will receive a cashback of between £3 and £10 and a small gift. The program also has holiday and birthday rewards for customers throughout the life of their membership.

 Access Forex will alert the member to points and rewards through a concierge service operating out of its Customer Call Centre. No need to keep checking to see which level you are on and how many points you have. A statement will be sent to you each month.

 The loyalty club is largely driven by customer feedback, which included analysis of remittance trends and calls to the remittance company’s customer service line, explained head of sales & marketing, Shingai J Koti. “A lot of what we’re working for is to create a personalized experience,” she added.

 To celebrate the launch of the Loyalty Club, 150 of Access Forex’s most loyal customers have been given 100 free points to enjoy.

 The launch of this club follows the ‘Breakfast on Us’ campaign which the company launched at the beginning of the month where it will give over 50000 loaves of bread to beneficiaries of clients transacting with Access Forex for the first time. These initiatives are a sign of things to come for Access Forex customers as the money transfer company continues to disrupt the market. 

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Access Forex UK
Written by Access ForexJune 9, 2021

Access Forex treats UK clients to a free breakfast to celebrate easier sending platform.

Access Forex UK
Access Forex treats UK clients to a free breakfast to celebrate easier sending platform.

As the UK gets ready to lift lockdown restrictions later this month, homegrown and run international money transfer company, Access Forex is preparing to deliver over 50,000 loaves of bread to the families of its large UK client base as it promotes usage of its easier new platform.

 

Starting this week, any new client who registers and sends money to Zimbabwe using the accessforex.com remittance platform will immediately receive 10 loaves of bread with the transaction. The company says the bread for breakfast will be delivered right to the doorstep of the receiver of the funds. Existing clients will receive free points worth up to £10 in the loyalty program that will be introduced at the same time.

 

This campaign will be run off an entirely new digital platform that the fintech launched this month. The new system is as close to zero KYC as any money transfer company has gotten with no need for an ID or address if you are sending £500 per transaction, £1,000 per month or £12,000 per annum. On most other money sending systems, remitters need to enter their information before making a transfer which leaves some sceptical about data protection. Access Forex says their new system is more secure and confidential information is only required when you are ready to make a transfer. You can calculate the rates and window-shop anonymously. “We are not worried about customers window-shopping and comparing prices because we are the cheapest and we actually encourage the comparison. Customers will see for themselves that when they add everything up, Access Forex offers the cheapest service to send money to Zimbabwe from the UK. You send more, for less”, explained Head of Sales & Marketing for Access Forex, Shingai Koti.

 

“Winter is traditionally also a very difficult time for many families in Zimbabwe and with this campaign we wanted to reward the people that look after their families from abroad” said Koti. “Some of our customers in the UK send money to supplement consumption and help with basic groceries. However, the UK lockdown has negatively affected income for many Zimbabweans working there, so we began to think about how we could help ease the burden of taking care of their families back home. The only way to ease the burden is to share it, so breakfast is on Access Forex this June,” explained Koti. 

Zimbabwe-focused money transfer firms have seen a boom despite predictions from the World Bank of a historic 20% drop to $445 billion in remittances to poorer countries this year due to the pandemic-induced economic slump worldwide.

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Written by Access AdminMarch 16, 2021

Zim remittances surge as women remitters lead the pack

53% of people sending money with us are women

ACCESS FOREX 

As formal remittances into Zimbabwe surged 58 percent in 2020 to a record $1 billion, data from a local think tank has unveiled that women remitters are leading the pack. 

According to a United Nations Women (UN Women) survey, analyzing the relationship between gender and remittances, migrant women workers have been leading the pack in sending money back home to loved ones.  

The research showed that while women tended to rely more on in-person cash transfer services in the past, the tide had turned with migrant workers now preferring formal channels for security. 

“The research found that, while women typically earn less than men and pay more in transfer fees, the average remittance amounts they send are the same as or even greater than those of men, implying that they tend to remit a larger portion of their earnings than do men,” the UN Women paper said. 

In Zimbabwe’s case, the survey also highlighted that the emergence of new players in the remittance play like Access Forex, Senditoo, and the traditional ones like World Remit and Mukuru had made it easier for women remitters to send money back home. 

Access Forex’s spokesperson Shingai Koti said the increase in trust by women was not alarming as the remittances firm, which services the United Kingdom and South Africa corridors, and others had put in place measures to stimulate remittances from the previously marginalized. 

“On our books, women make up 50 percent of the remitters and this is a huge step especially as we commemorate International Women’s Day. 

“It shows that emancipation and financial inclusion is finally reaching the previously marginalized and as a business, we continue to promote this through our wide distribution network around Zimbabwe also allowing women to send money locally,” Koti said. 

Koti said the trend was anticipated to surge further in the future on the back of sectorial liberalisation efforts by the central bank and the company’s efforts to promote financial inclusion. 

“In South Africa alone, 52 percent of our books is made up of women. This is a pattern we intend to maintain in the future as we grow as a business. We want to ensure that all our customers find a secure way to send money back home,” the Access Forex spokesperson said.  

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s diaspora remittances increased by 58 percent to US$1 billion last year surpassing US$635,7 million realised in 2019. 

In 2020, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe had projected that diaspora remittances would close the year at US$940 million. 

In his 2021 Monetary Policy Statement last month, RBZ Governor Dr John Mangudya attributed the improvement in Diaspora remittances to the liberalisation of the use of free funds in the country and improved channelling of remittances through formal channels. 

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Written by Access AdminOctober 30, 2020

Access Forex brings cheer to cancer patients

Access Forex brings cheer to cancer patients

HARARE – October 24, 2020 – REMITTANCES firm, Access Forex, last week gave out food hampers to cancer patients at Parirenyatwa Hospital’s Radiotherapy Centre as part of efforts to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

A patient being treated for breast cancer, said she appreciated the gesture as it would take pressure off her finances.

“This could not have come at a better time. Social Welfare and well-wishers have been assisting us, but the financial strain remains. Such gestures help relieve financial pressure to create more space to cater for hospital bills,” she said.

Speaking at the hand-over ceremony, Access Forex’s Business Development Manager Mildret Kujinga said the donation was from the company’s “Feed A Million” campaign which the company has set funds aside to give back to the community.

“We are overjoyed to be here today sharing this gift with you. This gift would not have been possible without our customers who transact with us here at home, in South Africa and in the United Kingdom. We really appreciate them. Please keep sending money so that we can give to the community,” she said.

Head of Public Relations at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals Linos Dhire said the Radiotherapy Centre needed new machines as the current ones are now antiquated.

“We really appreciate corporates who remember our patients. This gesture will go a long way. The main machine we have in the department was not working so this is costly to human lives at times,” Dhire said.

A local financial services firm has contributed US$200 000 for food relief efforts targeted at militating against the impact of the coronavirus.

In April, Access Forex gave out US$200 000 towards COVID-19 relief efforts with the funds drawn down from that the “Feed-A-Million” campaign currently underway.

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Written by Access AdminOctober 25, 2020

Zimbabwe’s financially excluded find a home

Zimbabwe’s financially excluded find a home

Previously marginalized informal players in Zimbabwe are finally feeling a glimmer of hope at the prospect of financial inclusion.

Small to Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) have expressed optimism that the exclusion gap could soon become a thing of the past as Access Forex, a local remittances firm, has placed its hands-on deck playing its part in driving the financial inclusion agenda.

This drive is aimed at achieving the United Nations’ global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, specifically SDG 8 and 10 which seek to promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth while reducing inequalities.

Financial exclusion has been dominant in third world countries as self-sustained entrepreneurs in the informal sector have faced challenges around finding robust financial solutions without exclusionary checklists.

To worsen the already existing problem, the global pandemic, Covid-19, has plunged the world into an economic crisis that, unfortunately, did not spare the informal market that has traditionally relied on informal channels to transact.

Worryingly, the global scourge was worsened by an extensive carnage on the job market bleeding economic and social spheres.

Being in the remittances business, Access Forex strives to identify with the struggles that were birthed by financial marginalization and has prioritized responding to the call to make the crisis lighter especially on hardworking migrants, local SMEs and the remittances beneficiaries.

Violet Mutemachani, a 42-year-old Mbare-based entrepreneur who operates from Siyaso Market could not hide her joy as she narrated how her business has found a home with Access Forex.

Mutemachani gets raw materials from suppliers in Mutare, a city 263 kilometers outside Zimbabwe’s capital, and uses the metal to make various essentials that range from baking tins, watering kettles, bathing basins and others.

“We have really struggled to send and receive money. Lately cash has been scarce, and, in some instances, we have been forced to send money with bus drivers. It was slow and involved a lot of risks,” Mutemachani said.

She also explained that informal channels of sending money were unpredictable.

“Sometimes the bus drivers would hike the sending fee when they got to the receiver and this was unsustainable for business. The other time a driver lied to me that the money had been lost and I lost my entire capital,” she said.

Bolden Mbeve Bizariero (29), who also operates from the same area as Mutemachani said the emergence of new players like Access Forex in the remittances play had significantly eased the burden of sending money across the country.

“Since I started using Access Forex, life for me has been simpler. The convenience that comes with knowing that I can send money instantly to my foreman in Bulawayo for him to receive the cash instantly has been unmatched,” Bizariero said.

Access Forex has a mandate to deliver solutions to Zimbabwe’s unbanked populace.

Already, the firm offers cash transfer services, a product driven by market demands.

Priority to serve has also been given to Zimbabweans living the Diaspora, especially those living in the United Kingdom and South Africa for them to send money back home at affordable rates.

Financial inclusion is indeed everyone’s responsibility and it is also complimenting the Government and United Nation’s efforts through sustainable development goals.

Research shows that countries pushing the financial inclusion agenda — which encompasses access to affordable, appropriate financial services — have achieved stronger GDP growth rates and lower income inequality.

For Access Forex, driving financial inclusion goes beyond the bottom line, its aim is to focus on ushering economic empowerment, equality, and access to financial products regardless of gender, social status, or race.

Authors: Mildret Kujinga, Ndakaziva Majaka

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Written by Access AdminSeptember 28, 2020

Access Forex Expands Domestic Footprint

HARARE, SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 – Remittances transfer firm, Access Forex, says it is looking at expanding its domestic remittances footprint to cover the whole country by year-end.
Mildred Kujinga Access Forex’s Business Development Manager said that the firm – which is already offering cross-border remittances for the Zimbabwe – South Africa corridor as well as the Zimbabwe – United Kingdom corridor – was moving to drive the central bank’s financial inclusion drive by targeting the financially marginalized.
“Access Forex has been aggressively growing the cross-border remittances targeting Zimbabweans in the Diaspora. We launched domestic remittances three months ago and have been expanding the domestic remittances market to take care of the receiver of the last mile,” she said.
Kujinga pointed out that this product was aimed at bringing seamless currency flow in the country in the wake of cash shortages.
“Through this product, Zimbabweans can send money to any part of Zimbabwe. This is not virtual money but hard cash that will find its way to the most remote parts of Zimbabwe bringing convenience to the country’s marginalized.
“We have deliberately partnered with players who will make it easy for Zimbabweans from all walks of life anywhere to access hard cash. We believe that this solution will save our customers the financial inconvenience of traveling to cities in search of cash,” Kujinga said.
Some of Access Forex’s partners include ProFeeds, Quest Financial, Jet Stores, MyCash and various others to make up a comprehensive network of convenience.
“We will have consistent service delivery at the lowest charges. Market response has generally been optimistic because clients from as far as the United Kingdom are now able to send money home to the very last leg.
“What drove us to launch this product is the fact that we discovered getting cash to remote parts of the country was a hustle as we were working on our ‘Feed a Million Campaign’ a programme where we are giving back to the community,” she said.
The Access Forex Business Development boss said the firm was looking at covering Zimbabwe’s 210 districts through strategic partnerships by close of 2020.

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Written by Access AdminSeptember 28, 2020

Access Finance goes global

HARARE, SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 – Finally! Zimbabweans will now be able to make global payments without a hustle.
Financial solutions firm, Access Finance, a registered bureau de change and money transfer agent, says it has developed a seamless payments product to facilitate global payments from Zimbabwe.
The firm – which already has a domestic remittances network spanning the whole country – has developed a product for import payments across the globe.
Access Finance’s Business Development Manager Mildret Kujinga said the finance solutions firm sought to plug the inconvenience clients have experienced over the past five years by failing to settle international obligations.
“Most Zimbabweans have been struggling to make payments outside the country. We have had students stranded outside the country, not because parents did not have the money to honour their obligations, but simply because parents could not find convenient ways of making these payments.
“Similarly, individuals have failed to sit for crucial examinations because they had failed to make payments to treasury bodies like the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and others.
“Our promise to our customers is that this is now a thing of the past. They can process these payments through us instantly,” Kujinga said.
Access Finance’s outbound remittances business enables customers to execute school and university fees payments, professional body subscriptions, import payments, medical bills and any other offshore payment that one may need to settle.
“There have been situations where clients needed to settle medical bills, say in India, but then had to watch loved ones waste away because there was simply no way of settling these bills.
“This will not happen again, as long as we can help it. Access will ensure these payments are made seamlessly,” Kujinga said.
Kujinga said the firm has proven capacity to facilitate payments across the world.
“We are licensed in the United Kingdom and South Africa with the exchange control authorities in both jurisdictions. We are not limited to Zimbabwe alone, we are global,” she said.
“We also do this locally. For instance, the parent is sitting on RTGS and wants to pay in USD or vice versa. Or they want to liquidate their nostro and still make payments. We are the go-to people because we will process all these payments without a hustle,” she added.
“Locally, we facilitate for conversion between foreign currencies and the Zimbabwean dollar. This makes us the go-to treasury and payments services provider.”, she added.
Highlighting that the company was equipped to do any currency switch ranging from ZAR to USD, GBP to USD, EUR to USD and vice versa, Kujinga said Access Forex also had in-house treasury solutions.
“For anything to do with forex, we are the go-to people. So, this means that even if you are traveling to any part of the world, you can visit us and we will switch the currencies for you without any hustle,” she said.

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