How MNOs Can Enhance Trust and Retention in Mobile Payments 

For mobile network operators (MNOs), mobile payments represent both an opportunity and a challenge. On one hand, enabling transactions through direct carrier billing (DCB) and other mobile payment mechanisms creates a new revenue stream. On the other, it places MNOs in a position where they must balance customer care, compliance, and risk while supporting the broader payments ecosystem. 

Unlike merchants and aggregators – who directly control payment flows, landing pages, and campaign designs – MNOs play an oversight and facilitation role. They set the standards that define how mobile payments function on their networks, stipulating what must and mustn’t appear in customer journeys, determining permitted billing flows (e.g., 1-click or 2 click, MSISDN or PIN, or varying combinations), and sometimes approving service campaigns. 

Done well, this oversight doesn’t just mitigate risk – it creates a more sustainable mobile payments ecosystem, improves customer trust, and, ultimately, drives long-term revenue growth. Here’s how MNOs can take the lead. 

1. Compliance as an Enabler, Not Just a Restriction 

A well-structured compliance framework isn’t just about avoiding regulatory headaches – it’s a foundation for sustainable revenue growth. The challenge for MNOs is to implement robust compliance codes without creating unnecessary friction for merchants and aggregators. 

The best operators are evolving from rigid, restrictive models to collaborative compliance, where: 

• Compliance codes are clear, regularly updated, and easy to navigate.  

• Merchant and aggregator partners are engaged early in the process, reducing approval delays. 

• Testing protocols proactively catch issues before services go live, rather than reactively shutting down non-compliant campaigns. 

Rather than being perceived as a bottleneck, MNOs that focus on compliance as an enabler create a healthier marketplace – one where merchants and aggregators can scale faster while maintaining high consumer protection standards. 

2. Transparency in Billing: Reducing Enquiries, Boosting Confidence 

Billing transparency is one of the most tangible ways MNOs can improve the customer experience, and it directly impacts complaint volumes. When users don’t understand a charge on their bill, it leads to frustration, unnecessary customer service interactions, and in some cases, loss of trust in mobile payments altogether. 

Smart operators are tackling this by: 

• Providing detailed transaction descriptions—not just “Service Charge” but the actual merchant name and service details. 

• Embedding direct support links within online bills, allowing customers to reach the merchant’s customer care team directly. 

• Implementing self-service lookup tools, where users can enter a charge reference and instantly retrieve information on the service provider. 

Customer support is a major operational cost for MNOs, and many mobile payment complaints stem from a lack of clarity rather than an actual dispute. By improving transparency, MNOs can significantly reduce inbound queries, freeing up resources while improving user trust in mobile payments. 

3. Strengthening Due Diligence and Risk Control (DDRC) for a Better Customer Experience 

MNOs don’t control individual payment flows, but they do control which services are allowed onto their network. A proactive DDRC strategy is one of the most effective ways to ensure only high-quality, compliant services reach end-users – reducing fraud, improving customer satisfaction, and protecting long-term revenue. 

Operators leading the way in Due Diligence and Risk Control are implementing: 

• Pre-launch testing of services, ensuring clear opt-in flows, proper disclosures, and functional customer care channels. 

• Ongoing monitoring, detecting patterns of excessive complaints, misleading advertising, or aggressive billing practices before they escalate. 

• Periodic compliance audits, ensuring merchants and aggregators maintain the same high standards over time – not just at onboarding. 

Beyond compliance, a strong DDRC framework builds trust – not just with regulators but with customers who need confidence that mobile payments are safe, fair, and transparent. MNOs that take a proactive stance in verifying service quality protect their networks from bad actors while strengthening the legitimacy of mobile payments as a whole. 

4. Supporting the Mobile Payments Ecosystem: A Win-Win Approach

While MNOs don’t design payment experiences directly, they set the rules that shape the ecosystem. The smartest operators are moving beyond a simple compliance mindset and actively supporting their merchant and aggregator partners to create a more seamless, scalable, and low-risk payment environment. 

How? 

• Clearer, more collaborative onboarding processes – so merchants and aggregators know exactly what’s expected before launching services. 

• Flexible but controlled billing flow options – such as offering different approval mechanisms (e.g., PIN vs. OTP) depending on risk levels. 

• Regular engagement with merchants and aggregators, ensuring alignment on best practices, consumer protection, and emerging market trends. 

When MNOs work with the value chain rather than against it, the entire ecosystem benefits – lower fraud risk, better consumer trust, and ultimately, higher revenue for all stakeholders. 

5. De-Risking Mobile Payments Without Killing Growth 

Fraud and non-compliance remain top concerns for regulators, and MNOs need to lead the charge in protecting both their customers and their business. The good news? This doesn’t have to mean overly restrictive measures that stifle growth. 

Operators that get this right are using: 

• Automated compliance monitoring, detecting unauthorised flows or misleading advertising in real time. 

• Risk-based approvals, where lower-risk merchants receive faster campaign approvals, while high-risk services undergo deeper scrutiny. 

• Regular audits and due diligence, not just at onboarding but as an ongoing process to ensure high service standards are maintained. 

By proactively addressing risk – rather than reacting to it – MNOs can make mobile payments safer while still enabling revenue growth for all stakeholders. 

The Opportunity for MNOs in Customer-Centric Mobile Payments 

MNOs don’t control the customer experience step by step, but they shape the environment in which mobile payments operate. From compliance frameworks to billing transparency, customer support, and fraud prevention, their influence is significant. 

The opportunity is clear: those who balance customer care, risk management, and ecosystem collaboration will see the strongest long-term growth. By making it easier for merchants and aggregators to operate within their networks – without exposing users to harm – MNOs can de-risk mobile payments while strengthening their position in the digital payments space. 

For operators willing to embrace this mindset, mobile payments aren’t just an add-on service – they’re a strategic growth driver. The question is: Are you optimising for trust, transparency, and long-term value? 

How MCP Can Help 

For many MNO teams responsible for mobile payments, the challenge isn’t just knowing what needs to be done – it’s having the internal resources, tools, and processes to execute effectively. Compliance reviews, ongoing monitoring, and value chain collaboration all take time – time that overstretched teams simply don’t have. 

That’s where MCP Insight comes in. 

At MCP Insight, we work alongside MNOs to streamline compliance, strengthen risk controls, and facilitate better communication across the mobile payments ecosystem. By providing end-to-end DDRC solutions, real-time monitoring tools, and expert market insight, we help operators de-risk mobile payments while making it easier for merchants and aggregators to thrive on their networks. 

Let’s talk about how we can support your business. Get in touch today to explore how MCP Insight can help you build a safer, more profitable mobile payments ecosystem.