Mobile and Agency Banking Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Digital Banking Managers, Agency Banking Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-BI-187

Before you join: Participants should understand core banking products, payment transactions and basic banking operations.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Mobile and agency banking can extend formal financial services to customers who are distant from branches, make frequent low-value transactions, or prefer assisted digital access. It also introduces operational exposure that traditional branch models do not face: agent liquidity shortages, identity fraud, disputed transactions, fragmented customer data, unreliable connectivity, weak agent conduct and complex settlement arrangements. Banks, mobile money providers and their partners need commercially viable models that meet customer needs while satisfying regulatory, risk and control requirements.

This course examines the design, operation and control of mobile and agency banking services. Participants assess market models involving banks, mobile network operators, fintechs, payment switches and agent networks; define customer propositions; establish agent selection and supervision processes; and map transaction, settlement and liquidity flows. The course also addresses AML/CFT controls, customer due diligence tiers, consumer protection, fraud prevention, cybersecurity, operational resilience, service metrics and unit economics.

Instruction combines short technical briefings with financial-inclusion cases, transaction-flow analysis, group design work, risk scenarios and operating-model reviews. Participants work with realistic examples such as rural cash-in/cash-out networks, merchant payments, government-to-person disbursements, small-business collections and mobile wallet interoperability. They leave with a mobile and agency banking operating-model pack containing an agent-management framework, transaction-risk register, liquidity plan, service scorecard and implementation roadmap.

The course is suited to professionals responsible for digital channels, branchless banking, financial inclusion, payments, operations, risk, compliance and product delivery. It is particularly relevant where an institution is launching, expanding, repairing or governing a mobile or agency banking service.

What you will be able to do

  • Assess mobile and agency banking business models, participant roles and customer value propositions
  • Design agent selection, onboarding, contracting and performance-management processes
  • Map end-to-end transaction, settlement and liquidity flows for mobile banking services
  • Apply risk-based AML/CFT, customer due diligence and consumer-protection controls
  • Develop fraud-control measures for agent, customer, transaction and device risks
  • Calculate unit economics using acquisition, transaction, liquidity and support cost drivers
  • Create operational scorecards using service, activity, liquidity, risk and customer metrics
  • Produce a phased mobile and agency banking implementation roadmap with governance controls

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Build credibility when evaluating mobile and agency banking proposals
  • Recognise agent liquidity, fraud and conduct warning signs earlier
  • Use transaction-flow maps to resolve operational ownership gaps
  • Assess whether agent-network growth is commercially sustainable
  • Prepare practical control requirements for new digital service launches

For your organisation

  • Reduce failed transactions through clearer settlement and liquidity controls
  • Improve agent productivity through structured recruitment and supervision criteria
  • Strengthen AML/CFT and consumer-protection controls for remote customer access
  • Identify unprofitable customer, agent and transaction patterns using unit economics
  • Create a governed rollout plan for mobile and agency banking expansion

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can distinguish mobile and agency banking models and identify viable operating roles.

  • Mobile money, agency banking and digital bank models compared
  • Value-chain roles for banks, telcos, fintechs and agents mapped
  • Transaction journeys from cash-in to merchant payment documented
  • Customer segments prioritised using needs, access, income and trust
  • Unit economics drivers: acquisition, activity, cash handling and support
  • Interoperability models: closed loop, bilateral links and shared switches

Participants can translate regulatory obligations into practical mobile and agency banking controls.

  • Central bank licensing categories and permitted agency activities assessed
  • Agent due diligence requirements under risk-based AML/CFT programmes applied
  • FATF Recommendation 1 and financial inclusion guidance interpreted correctly
  • Customer due diligence tiers aligned with transaction limits
  • Consumer protection rules for disclosures, fees and complaint handling
  • Regulatory reporting calendars, records retention and audit trails specified

Participants can design accessible customer journeys, pricing structures and service standards.

  • Customer journey mapping identifies friction, abandonment and service failures
  • Jobs-to-be-Done interviews define priority financial service needs
  • Pricing structures balance affordability, agent incentives and margin
  • Assisted digital journeys accommodate literacy, language and accessibility barriers
  • Service-level standards define transaction confirmation, support and resolution targets
  • Complaint taxonomy distinguishes system errors, agent conduct and fraud

Participants can establish an agent network with clear selection, supervision and performance controls.

  • Agent segmentation differentiates retail shops, aggregators and dedicated outlets
  • Selection scorecards assess location, cash capacity, reputation and demand
  • Contract clauses define exclusivity, conduct, branding and audit rights
  • Onboarding controls verify identity, business registration and bank-account ownership
  • Agent training covers transaction procedures, customer treatment and escalation routes
  • Performance dashboards track activity, float availability, errors and complaints

Participants can map mobile banking workflows and control transaction processing exceptions.

  • USSD, mobile application and SMS channel characteristics compared
  • Transaction-state mapping identifies initiation, authorisation, posting and confirmation points
  • ISO 20022 payment messages and data elements explained
  • Exception queues manage reversals, time-outs, duplicates and failed postings
  • Reconciliation procedures match channel logs, core banking and switch records
  • Customer support scripts handle pending, failed and disputed transactions

Participants can plan agent liquidity and control settlement across mobile and agency banking transactions.

  • E-money float, cash float and settlement balances distinguished
  • Agent liquidity forecasting uses transaction patterns, seasonality and location data
  • Rebalancing routes allocate cash collection, delivery and bank deposits
  • Settlement cycles identify intraday, end-of-day and deferred obligations
  • Prefunding arrangements manage counterparty exposure and transaction continuity
  • Liquidity escalation thresholds trigger intervention before customer service failure

Participants can identify key threat scenarios and specify preventive, detective and response controls.

  • Fraud typologies include SIM swaps, social engineering and agent collusion
  • Risk and control self-assessment documents inherent and residual risks
  • Transaction monitoring rules identify velocity, structuring and unusual behaviour
  • Four-eyes controls protect agent registration, limit changes and reversals
  • Incident response playbooks assign containment, investigation and customer remediation
  • Root-cause analysis separates process failures, misconduct and system defects

Participants can specify technology and data controls appropriate for mobile and agency banking services.

  • Application programming interfaces connect channels, partners and core banking systems
  • Identity and access management applies least privilege and role separation
  • Multi-factor authentication options assessed against customer access constraints
  • Data classification defines handling rules for customer and transaction information
  • PCI DSS scope considered for card-linked mobile payment services
  • Business continuity plans address outages, connectivity failure and agent disruption

Participants can measure commercial performance and use management information to improve service delivery.

  • Cohort analysis measures activation, retention and transaction frequency
  • Contribution margin separates revenue, commissions, platform and support costs
  • Agent productivity metrics compare transactions, values, uptime and active days
  • Geographic analysis identifies underserved areas and network coverage gaps
  • Balanced scorecards combine growth, service, risk, compliance and profitability
  • Management reporting escalates material trends, breaches and corrective actions

Participants can prepare a controlled implementation plan for a mobile or agency banking initiative.

  • Target operating model assigns product, operations, risk and technology accountabilities
  • RACI matrices clarify ownership for agents, transactions and customer complaints
  • Pilot design sets customer, agent, geography and transaction acceptance criteria
  • Implementation roadmaps sequence licensing, technology, recruitment and communications activities
  • Risk registers link control owners, deadlines and monitoring indicators
  • Ninety-day application plans define actions, stakeholders and measurable outcomes

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Mobile and agency banking target operating model
  2. Agent selection and due diligence checklist
  3. Agent liquidity forecasting template
  4. Transaction risk and control register
  5. Mobile banking service scorecard
  6. Ninety-day implementation roadmap

Who should attend

  • Digital Banking Managers — responsible for mobile channel growth and service performance
  • Agency Banking Managers — accountable for agent recruitment, controls and network productivity
  • Payments and Operations Managers — manage transaction processing, settlement and exception handling
  • Risk and Compliance Officers — oversee AML/CFT, fraud, conduct and operational controls
  • Product Managers — design customer propositions, pricing and mobile service journeys
  • Financial Inclusion Programme Managers — deliver accessible services to underserved customer groups

Skills and tools covered

Agent network managementMobile payments operationsTransaction risk controlAgent liquidity planningDigital banking economicsFinancial inclusion design

Tools and standards

FATF Recommendations, ISO 20022, PCI DSS, RACI matrix

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to establish concepts, regulations and operating models, followed by sector-based case work. Participants analyse agent-network decisions, trace mobile transaction flows, assess fraud scenarios and review customer complaints. Group exercises apply tools such as agent due diligence checklists, liquidity forecasts, risk registers and service scorecards. Simulations examine operational incidents including cash shortages, failed transfers and disputed transactions. The final sessions focus on adapting the methods to each participant’s institution through structured application planning.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand core banking products, payment transactions and basic banking operations. Experience in retail banking, digital channels, payments, branch operations, agent management, risk, compliance or financial inclusion is useful. Participants should be comfortable discussing transaction flows, customer journeys, fees, controls and operating metrics. Prior experience with mobile money platforms, software development, data analysis or telecommunications regulation is not required. The course explains relevant payment, regulatory and control concepts before applying them to mobile and agency banking decisions.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should understand basic retail banking products, payment transactions and operational controls. Experience with mobile money, telecommunications systems or software development is not required.

Bring examples of your institution’s mobile or agency banking service, current operating issues or planned initiatives if you can share them appropriately. A laptop is useful for working with templates, although it is not essential.

The course suits managers and specialists in digital banking, agency banking, payments, operations, product, risk, compliance and financial inclusion. It is also relevant to teams preparing a controlled rollout or reviewing an existing service.

This course focuses on the assisted and remote delivery model behind mobile and agency banking. It gives particular attention to agent conduct, cash and float management, remote onboarding, transaction exceptions, settlement and financial-inclusion requirements.

Participants can use the provided templates to assess an agent network, map a transaction process, identify control gaps and establish service metrics. The application plan helps convert findings into assigned actions and review dates.

Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The programme covers ten teaching modules through briefings, cases, group analysis, simulations and implementation planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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