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

Mainstay Medical Announces Two-Year Outcomes from RESTORE Clinical Trial of ReActiv8®3.9.2026 22:30:00 CEST | Press release

ReActiv8® Restorative Neurostimulation™ treatment group showed sustained improvements in measures of disability, pain and quality of life from the one-year to the two-year timepoints.83% of control group patients elected to cross over and receive ReActiv8 therapy after the one-year assessment.After one year of ReActiv8 therapy, the outcomes in the crossover group were indistinguishable from the treatment group at the same time point, confirming the effect is reproducible, robust, and not cohort specific. Mainstay Medical Holdings plc today announced the publication of the two-year assessment results from the RESTORE randomized clinical trial of ReActiv8 for the treatment of intractable chronic low back pain. The data show continued improvements in back pain-related disability, pain and quality of life in the ReActiv8 treatment group, and improvements after one year of ReActiv8 therapy in the crossover group that were indistinguishable from the improvements shown by the treatment group

Compass Pathways Announces New Employee Inducement Grants Under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)3.9.2026 22:30:00 CEST | Press release

Compass Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS), a biotechnology company dedicated to unlocking urgently needed new treatment options in mental health care, announced today that Compass granted equity awards under the Compass Pathways plc 2026 Inducement Plan to thirty-one newly hired non-executive employees. The equity awards were granted on September 1, 2026 and consisted of options to purchase an aggregate of 280,600 shares and restricted share units or, in the case of employees in the United Kingdom nominal cost options, covering an aggregate of 133,500 shares. The options have an exercise price per share equal to $13.24, the closing price of the Company’s American Depositary Shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on the grant date, and will vest over a four-year period with 25% vesting on the first anniversary of the date of the grant and the remaining 75% vesting in equal monthly installments over the three-year period thereafter, subject to each employee’s continued employment. The restr

Lenovo Advances Hybrid AI Across New Personal and Enterprise Technology3.9.2026 18:00:00 CEST | Press release

Lenovo announces expanded Lenovo and Motorola Qira experiences and availability, new Yoga, Idea, Think, and Motorola devices, and concepts that explore the next era of more personal, connected technology. Today at Lenovo™ Innovation World during IFA 2026, Lenovo unveiled a new portfolio of personal and enterprise technology, showing how its Hybrid AI strategy is moving from vision to practical experiences across devices, infrastructure, services, and the everyday moments that connect them. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260903555953/en/ Lenovo Innovation World at IFA 2026 The announcements bring together Lenovo’s “one personal AI, multiple devices” approach with enterprise technology that helps organizations turn data into insights and value. They span personal AI across PCs, smartphones, tablets, and wearables; creator and consumer devices that adapt to different ways of working and expressing ideas; and bus

Bahrain Signs its Participation Contract for Expo 2030 Riyadh3.9.2026 17:45:00 CEST | Press release

The Kingdom of Bahrain has signed its Participation Contract for Expo 2030 Riyadh, marking a new phase in preparations for its participation in the World Expo. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260903144412/en/ His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, and Talal Al-Marri, Chief Executive Officer of Expo 2030 Riyadh, at the ceremony. The agreement provides the formal framework for Bahrain’s participation in Expo 2030 Riyadh, enabling preparations to advance across the key organizational and operational aspects of its presence throughout the six-month event, including the development of its pavilion, programmes and visitor experiences. The Participation Contract was signed in Bahrain by Talal Al-Marri, Chief Executive Officer of Expo 2030 Riyadh, on behalf of Expo 2030 Riyadh, and His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, President

Kaltura and Verimatrix Partner to Strengthen Security for OTT and Cloud TV Services3.9.2026 17:45:00 CEST | Press release

Partnership combines Kaltura's Cloud TV platform with Verimatrix's content protection and anti-piracy solutions, with full migration of customers to be carried out in the coming months. Regulatory News: This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260903384589/en/ Kaltura (Nasdaq: KLTR), the Agentic Digital Experience company, and Verimatrix (Euronext Paris: VMX), a leading provider of security solutions for a safer connected world, today announced a strategic partnership designed to provide enhanced protection for OTT and Cloud TV services. The partnership brings together Kaltura's scalable Cloud TV platform and Verimatrix's Digital Rights Management (DRM) and security capabilities. The joint solution, as part of Kaltura’s Marketplace, helps Telco’s, broadcasters, and media companies securely deliver premium live and on-demand content across a wide range of devices and operating systems. Demand for advanced content protec

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