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London-based ONEm Communications[1] has announced the launch of its mCoin[2] program across Africa. Designed to be a hybrid currency, mCoin[3] is a digital currency that can be transferred over text or through the smartphone app. Africa is a continent with millions of people who have access to mobile phones but little to no internet connectivity. ONEm wants to bring the benefit of cryptocurrency to millions of the unbanked in Africa through the mCoin program.

ONEm Communications is a tech startup that develops advanced platforms supporting an ecosystem of services. The ecosystem[4] is a set of interactive services that seeks to transform the way people communicate and access information on mobile.

In an interview with Bitcoin Magazine, ONEm Co-Founder[5] & CEO Christopher Richardson said the reception for the mCoin in Africa has been “tremendous.” He believes the blockchain can be combined with mobile technology to connect the unbanked in Africa.

"We believe when combined with informational and community-based services; this can leverage their happiness by giving them simple and effective tools that extend their capabilities. Africa is just the beginning; we will be launching in many countries all over the world to allow everyone to enjoy cryptocurrency on ordinary mobiles."

Crypto Wallet

The ONEm Wallet is a digital wallet that allows users to send mCoin to others in the community, by means of a wallet address in the form of a username. Users can also send mCoin from an offline SMS wallet to the digital wallet. Richardson, who has experience in the telecommunications sector, says the SMS wallet is secure as it's not connected to the internet. The SMS wallet was created to mirror a cold storage wallet.

The SMS wallet works with

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