Business Wire

DING

27.1.2021 12:12:04 CET | Business Wire | Press release

Share
Phones, Payments and the Pandemic: Covid’s Impact on How We Communicate and Spend Money

The release of the Inaugural Ding Global Prepaid Index (GPI) has produced unexpected findings of an untapped market with high growth potential that has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. This bi-annual global study commissioned by Ding , the world’s largest mobile top-up service, examines the views of 7,000 respondents across the US, the UK, France, KSA, UAE, Qatar, Brazil, Indonesia, and the Philippines, regarding their engagement in the prepaid market and their attitudes towards it. The prepaid market is defined as people who use prepaid mobile billing; prepaid financial products such as prepaid credit cards; prepaid utility bill payment, or prepaid gift cards / vouchers.

Market Intelligence - what the report tells us

This report is telling: 79% of respondents use at least one prepaid service, while 45% use two or more; prepay is seen as a more flexible way to engage the services they need and want rather than bill pay (or postpay) options. Prepaid mobile bills account for the highest usage (61%), followed by prepaid utility bills (31%), prepaid vouchers and gift cards (19%) and prepaid financial products such as a prepaid visa card (17%).

While many assume that the prepaid market primarily serves those in a lower income bracket, the study has revealed that a high number across all income brackets engage in prepaid services. In fact, higher-income earners use prepaid products most, with 84% of respondents in this bracket stating they use prepaid services. This result is relatively high across the board, with 78% of low-income earners using prepaid services as do 79% of medium-income earners.

“The Global Prepaid Index has revealed the enormous market potential for prepaid products,” said Mark Roden, Chief Executive and Founder of Ding. “Our research shows that prepaid products attract all walks of life, with many people engaging by choice rather than out of necessity. In an era where we can use technology to provide better transparency and control over our finances, as well as to use it to quickly access services, it is no surprise that people are willing to have their electricity or mobile phone service cut off for example because, in minutes, they can just top it up again.”

Market Opportunity

“Today we see a business opportunity to cater to the prepaid market more than ever,” said Roden. “The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated this trend not only due to financial uncertainty but also with many unable to see their loved ones in person due to social distancing and restrictions on international travel. Even on our own platform, we have seen close to a 50% annual uptick in prepaid transactions during 2020, with customers prioritising keeping in contact by either topping up their own phones or sending airtime to others.”

*** Ends ***

About the Ding Global Prepaid Index (GPI)

The Ding Global Prepaid Index (GPI) is a major bi-annual survey analysing the prepaid market.

The inaugural GPI shines a light on the people who may see prepaid products and services as their only option to live in the world today. 7,000 respondents were surveyed across Europe, Asia and the Americas regarding their use of prepaid offerings, examining the attitudes, activities and outlook of the forgotten billion in particular during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Those surveyed were evenly distributed across gender and aged over 18, 30 percent of the sample also identified as expats.

About Ding

Ding was founded to improve people’s lives by helping those with less gain access to more. As the number one international mobile top-up service in the world, Ding has been keeping people connected since 2006, when it launched this first-of-a-kind service. Today, Ding’s users have successfully sent over 450 million top-ups globally, via the app, online at Ding.com, and in-store at over 600,000+ retail outlets worldwide.

Ding is the world’s leading universal top-up service. Ding delivers a top-up every second, via 550+ operators, across 140+ countries – helping families and friends around the world to stay connected.

Link:

ClickThru

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Svante & Meadow Lake Tribal Council Partnership Agrees to Sell Microsoft 626,000 Tonnes of Carbon Removal Credits6.4.2026 17:00:00 CEST | Press release

Microsoft agrees to purchase 626,000 tonnes of durable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits over a 15-year delivery term from the North Star BECCS project in Saskatchewan, Canada. Indigenous ownership: North Star Carbon Solutions LP is a Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC)–Svante partnership. The deal is Microsoft’s first Canadian BECCS CDR offtake agreement and is believed to be the first of its kind in Canada involving Indigenous ownership. The project is co-located at the MLTC Bioenergy Centre and supplied by sustainable waste biomass from MLTC’s adjacent sawmill. Svante Technologies Inc. (Svante) and Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC) announced today that North Star Carbon Solutions LP has entered into an offtake agreement with Microsoft to deliver 626,000 tonnes of durable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits to be delivered over 15 years from the North Star bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) project in Saskatchewan, Canada. The project is being developed through a par

Textron Aviation Names Five 2026 Top Hawk Recipients as Program Enters Its Second Decade of Workforce Impact6.4.2026 17:00:00 CEST | Press release

Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today announced Brazos Valley Flight Services, Executive Air Taxi Corporation, Fairmont State University, Sterling Flight Training and Victors Aviation as its 2026 Top Hawk program recipients, continuing a legacy that has placed 55 factory-new Cessna Skyhawks in training environments since the program launched in 2015. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260402481685/en/ Factory-new Cessna Skyhawks (Model 172) to take flight as Textron Aviation names five 2026 Top Hawk recipients—helping train the next generation of pilots Now entering its second decade, Top Hawk is one of the industry’s longest‑running manufacturer‑school partnerships. Designed to support aviation workforce development, the program loans custom‑branded, factory‑new Skyhawks to selected organizations for one year, giving students access to the world’s most popular training aircraft and help

The Spectrum of Global Cinema Unfolds in Jeonju: The 27th JEONJU International Film Festival6.4.2026 15:23:00 CEST | Press release

237 films from 54 countries to be screened under the slogan “Beyond the Frame” The 27th JEONJU International Film Festival (JIFF) is set to run from April 29 to May 8 in Jeonju, featuring 237 movies from 54 countries. Jeonju—the most authentic Korean city and a prominent tourist destination in Asia known for its tradition and cuisine—will host this year’s film festival under the slogan “Beyond the Frame.” This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260406890043/en/ The 27th JEONJU International Film Festival will take place from April 29 to May 8 in Jeonju (Image: JEONJU CITY) Opening the 27th edition will be Kent Jones’s “Late Fame,” while the film “The Longest Night: Namtaeryong” directed by Kim Hyun-ji will close the festival. In addition, a special program honors the late Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki, who passed away last year. Titled “Special Focus: Ahn Sung-ki’s Memorable Films Yet Rarely Seen,” it showcases seven of hi

Andersen Consulting tilføjer Multiplica3.4.2026 13:30:00 CEST | Pressemeddelelse

Andersen Consulting indgår en samarbejdsaftale med Multiplica, et digitalt konsulentfirma, der hjælper organisationer med at designe, bygge og skalere effektfulde digitale oplevelser. Multiplica, der er stiftet i Spanien og desuden har aktiviteter i Latinamerika og USA, fokuserer på brugerundersøgelser og behovsafdækning, research af kundeoplevelser, digital strategi, datamodellering og -analyse, rapportautomatisering og datavisualisering, konverteringsoptimering, produktdesign og design af brugeroplevelser. Virksomheden hjælper organisationer med at fremskynde den digitale transformation ved at opbygge digitale kompetencer, teams og aktiver, der fremmer ekspertise på tværs af digitale produkter, rådgivning og talentudvikling. Multiplica gør det muligt for kunder at prognosticere nye tendenser inden for digitale oplevelser og transformere deres forretninger gennem styrkede digitale kanaler og kundeengagement. "Samarbejdet med Andersen Consulting udgør en spændende mulighed for at udvid

Enry’s Island Unveils “Enry’s Island Adventures”: Venture Capital Becomes a Videogame and Launches the “Strap” Movement on Kickstarter3.4.2026 09:47:00 CEST | Press release

Gaming, finance, and lifestyle merge to democratize the startup ecosystem: Enry’s Island opens 2026 applications for game development studios seeking more than just capital. Enry’s Island SpA (WBAG: EIOS), the world’s first publicly traded Venture Builder, today announced the upcoming Kickstarter launch of Enry’s Island Adventures (EIA), developed by its New York-based portfolio company, Enry’s Island Adventures LLC. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260402548535/en/ The game is designed to make venture capital accessible to new generations, transforming startup creation into an engaging and social gaming experience. After three years of R&D, EIA introduces a "bleisure" model (business + leisure): players learn to launch and manage startups through gameplay that includes real business KPIs, a customizable and evolving personal island, synchronous and asynchronous multiplayer modes, social events, and community-d

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye