Mobile operator Ooredoo Tunisia has formed a partnership with insurance company Maghrebia to sell personal insurance services through Ooredoo’s Mobiflouss mobile payment service and the Tunisian postal service. Ooredoo Tunisia CEO Youssef Al Masri said the initiative was part of a framework to bring financial and social inclusion to low-income people with no insurance. The first product will be a health and life insurance service for students. Mobiflouss has over 330,000 active users.

Tarifica’s Take

This insurance offering in is an innovative one that we believe will find favor with Ooredoo Tunisia’s customer base and give the operator some competitive advantage. It is a valid extension of the mobile-money service that has proved so valuable to users in developing markets, particularly in Africa. In these markets, mobile operators have become engines of economic development, on their own or in partnership with banks. This partnership with an insurance company should also empower customers by providing them with access to a service of vital importance. That in turn will be beneficial to Oordeoo’s image and should help with retention and acquisition of subscribers.