Did You Know cashless payments in Africa can stop bullying?

Cashless payment is the trend that customers from young to old are fast getting aquatinted with across the globe. From banishing long tiring queues to securely walking in the streets, cashless payment speed up the whole checkout process for customers with less cost and time like never before. Cashless payments come with different forms-from mobile payments through various apps that have turned smartphones into digital wallets in paying for goods and services to contactless credit cards. The field of options for customers is huge and they are all preferred by consumers due to the satisfaction they give and the technological advancement they provide.

Poor understanding of financial basics and planning are contributors to a sense of vulnerability which lead people into making decisions they later regret or into debts they did not anticipate. The implementation of cashless payments has transformed peoples vulnerability of ignorance when dealing with finances while improving their technical skills at the same time. Between parents and their children who are still at school, it is a reliable stress free way of transacting cash. South Africa is vastly growing in the world of digitisation and offering the nation more options and more solutions. Fundi is South Africa’s leading education finance and education fund management solution specialist. Its introduction of a cashless system in a form of a bracelet to digitalise payments for primary schools is yet another innovation worth looking into. It is a game changer because once people get used to using it, it provides the retailer with the means to modify the experience according to the specific customer demands.

Fundi’s bracelet, (made of rubber) by Fundi pay is a RFID (radio frequency identification) app which allows parents to load pocket money into  student’s account using any mobile phone. RFID belongs to a group of  well known technologies called Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) which operate by electronically identifying, collecting and analyse data about objects straight into computer systems. Radio waves  are used to track tags containing electronic information. Tiny RFID tags can be attached to wristbands or badges, and can be scanned using dedicated scanners or modern smartphones. Many schools transact money on daily basis, either to pay for school fees, school trips or pocket money hence a suitable target group for such mobile options.

Fundi pay offers parents an e-mail which offers a platform for registration to take place. Once the registration process is done, parents have the capacity to allocate money into their children’s accounts and they in turn can easily make money transactions anywhere with their wrist rubber bands. The rubber bands are very user friendly  and are made of a hard plastic with a chip enclosed in order to protect the chip inside from being easily damaged. The chips have a tag within which is made up of a transmitter, receiver, and a circuit that stores large amounts of trackable information from bank card identification credentials, purchasing credits, to credit card numbers. This feature eliminates theft of money that is normally experienced at schools, giving students time to enjoy  their school activities peacefully knowing that their credit cards remain safely tucked away at home or in their school lockers. Bullying at tuck shops can also subside once parents and learners use Fundi pay.

Bullying is one of the major concerning issues in both primary and high schools in South Africa and many parts of the world and it manifests itself in so many forms and shapes at school in class-rooms and tuck shops during short breaks especially. Anti bullying steps have been taken by many schools and the department of education but it is still a concern. The vulnerability of young people who either due to poverty, unstable living conditions or unemployed parents develop aggressive behaviour and criminal patterns, which later lead to bullying is a complex reality that makes solving such cases very stressful. Culprits engaging in bullying normally end up getting away with it, leaving the victims with serious effects which are challenging for both parents and the teachers to assist learners affected in dealing with. Effects vary in degrees of complexity from missing classes, having unexplained bruising to committing suicide. Either way- the effects leave  detrimental stigmas and trauma. Implementation of digital solutions such as Fundi pay  has potential to bring more ease to the bullying crises for schools, parents and students as the wrist bands can be used to show solidarity while sticking up for the cause. They can be utilised to raise awareness to stand up to bullying. Money stealing from wallets and school bags can decline and a more healthier environment for learning can be experienced.

If you know of any innovations in Africa, an innovation that is changing lives, or you also want to be a guest blogger, get in contact with us on Twitter @inventiveAfrica or via email. Please share the blog with your network on Twitter and Facebook.

Also, don’t forget to check out and like our Facebook page! For more interesting blogs about African Innovation, check out our homepage.

If you enjoy reading Inventive Africa and want to support the upkeep of the blog you can donate at