Kenya’s Water ATM Accepts Mobile Payments

At these ATMs, mobile money flows and water flows, too.

Mobile World Live reported that Swedish tech firm Ericsson and pump maker Grundfos have announced a partnership to bring to Kenya’s markets an ATM water dispenser that also takes mobile payments.

The site stated that the goal is to offer access to a sustainable water supply, and through the initiative, Ericsson’s interconnect solution allows mobile wallet service firms to function with the water kiosks. This takes the form of a consumer utility service and thus also functions to further the adoption and use of cashless transactions.

The continued revenue stream (pun intended) also will help ensure that the kiosks function well and are maintained and operated on a consistent basis. The firms said in a statement that the ability to offer access to water will “support social and financial inclusion and enable the sustainable development of local communities, potentially impacting millions of people,” as noted by Peter Heuman, head of mCommerce at Ericsson. The partnership and water kiosks could extend to other developing nations, said the outlet.