2023

> sQuid to present its white paper findings on Driving Lieracy and Digital Literacy at the 2021 mEducation Alliance Symposium

We are delighted to be invited to present the findings from our recently released white paper titled ‘Driving Literacy and Digital Literacy – Lessons from iMlango in Kenya’ at the 2021 mEducation Alliance Symposium. ...

24 September 2021

> sQuid contributes to the dialogue on education during the Global Education Summit with launch of new white paper on Driving Literacy and Digital Literacy

This week UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta co-hosted the Global Education Summit in London. The Summit’s aim was to raise funds for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)...

30 July 2021

> UK and Kenya to host major education summit this year

Coronavirus has worsened the global education crisis, with 1.3 billion children – including 650 million girls – out of education at the peak of school closures. Experts warn that many children will never return...

11 January 2021

2020

> Senior UBEC Nigeria team visit sQuid for iMukoko education project

Projects Director and Board representative attend two-day forum on boosting Nigeria’s digital future. Senator Abubakar Sadiq Yaradua and Mr Umar Iro, UBEC Board representative and Projects Director respectively, visited the headquarters of sQuidcard Ltd for cutting-edge conversations focussed on how digital technology will be able to transform Nigerian Basic Education.

20 October 2020

> Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP visits sQuid head office in Thames Ditton

As constituency MP for Esher and Walton, Dominic Raab visited sQuid, a technology company that is revolutionising education halfway round the world. sQuid – the British company based in Thames Ditton that created smartcard and digital wallet technologies used in school payment systems across the United Kingdom, and provides safe cashless payments on buses for those without bankcards – showed off to Mr Raab its projects in Kenya, Somalia and now Nigeria...

19 October 2020

> The risks of keeping schools closed far outweigh the benefits

All around the world, children's minds are going to waste. As covid-19 surged in early April, more than 90% of pupils were shut out of school. Since then the number has fallen by one-third, as many classrooms in Europe and East Asia have reopened. But elsewhere progress is slow.

22 July 2020

2019

> World Bank warns of a crisis in Kenya’s education system

In October, the Daily Nation newspaper in Kenya ran an article in which the senior education specialist from the World Bank was quoted as saying that children going through the Kenyan education system are losing an estimated three years of education.

31 October 2019

> sQuid launches new Microfinance initiative at the mEducation Alliance Symposium in Washington, D.C.

sQuid, the digital transactions and payments service provider, launched its new Kenya Microfinance programme at the mEducation Alliance Symposium in Washington, D.C. Its purpose is to further drive community economic development and overcome education barriers...

11 October 2019

> Reflections from the 9th Annual mEducation Alliance Symposium

The mEducation Alliance Symposium in Washington, D.C. always provides opportunity to learn from others and to examine how our own iMlango programme is working in the wider context of digital innovation in learning.

10 October 2019

> Cityserve launches new school cashless and pre-ordering system powered by sQuid

Birmingham-based school caterer, Cityserve, has introduced a cashless payment and pre-ordering system for its clients. Exclusively for Cityserve schools in Birmingham, the new service which includes the sQuid Dinner Money and sQuid SchoolPay systems means there will be no cash-handling for school meals moving forward.

10 January 2019

2018

> sQuid invited to speak at UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s roundtable meeting on girls’ education

We were delighted to be asked to contribute to the recent Wilton Park discussion led by the Foreign and Commonwealth office centring on issues of girls’ education, where we were able to share some of our insights, especially on literacy, from our experiences in Kenya.

6 July 2018

> Future-Proofing Technology for Education in International Development: Mobiles for Education Alliance releases report on its 7th annual Symposium

The seventh annual Mobiles for Education (mEducation) Alliance Symposium, held October 5-6, 2017, brought together practitioners, thought leaders, policy makers, and funders to advance the use of and evidence for information and communications technology in global education (ICT4E).

23 May 2018

> sQuid invited to speak at Leveraging Technology to Scale Early Grade Reading in Africa event

The Leveraging Technology to Scale Early Grade Reading in Africa event aimed to enhance understanding of technology tools and resources to advance early grade reading efforts. Held in Pretoria, South Africa, the event was hosted by All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development, Global Book Alliance, mEducation Alliance, and sponsored by World Vision and USAID in collaboration with Pearson Institute of Higher Education.

11 May 2018

> iMlango launches new Microloans initiative

We are pleased to announce that iMlango has launched a new Microloans initiative which provides access to funds for families in selected iMlango communities. The unique initiative provides recipients with funds to help them grow their business, and aims to focus the recipient family on the importance of saving for their children’s education.

27 April 2018

> The State of the World's Cash Report: Cash Transfer Programming in Humanitarian Aid

In recent years, the use of cash transfer programming (CTP) in humanitarian assistance has grown significantly. In 2016, we estimate that $2.8bn in humanitarian assistance was disbursed through cash and vouchers, up 40% from 2015 and approximately 100% from 2014. As this report describes, the move to CTP has strong roots and is set to continue.

01 February 2018

2017

> iMlango wins “Best e-learning platform” award at the Digital Inclusion Awards

We are delighted to share with you that iMlango was announced as the winner of the "Best e-learning platform" award at the Digital Inclusion Awards in Nairobi last week.

18 December 2017

> sQuid showcases innovative digital account technology at World Bank Annual Meetings

We were honoured to participate at the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings in Washington D.C. yesterday, where we had the opportunity to present our digital account technology at the Bridging the Inclusion and Technology Divide Fair.

13 October 2017

> Cashless payments for school meals available across Swansea

Online payments for school meals are being rolled out to primary schools in Swansea in the new term. Swansea Council is covering the cost of introducing the new online system provided by sQuid that allows parents or guardians to pay electronically for school meals and other school items.

29 August 2017

> sQuid attends CaLP’s Global Cash Forum, Geneva 28-29 June

sQuid recently attended The Cash Learning Partnership’s (CaLP) Global Cash Forum which brought together the world's leading stakeholders working on cash transfer programming in humanitarian response, including governments, the UN, NGOs and the private sector.

29 June 2017

> Save the Children partners with sQuid to deliver aid programme in drought-affected Somalia

Save the Children, the international humanitarian agency, has partnered with sQuid, the digital transaction solutions provider, to deliver much-needed aid to families displaced by drought and conflict in north-east Somalia.

9 June 2017

> Nearly 700,000 people have fled drought and hunger in Somalia

As the UN doubles the funding target needed to deliver its Humanitarian Response Plan for Somalia this year, new figures show that nearly 700,000 people have been displaced by hunger in the country, which is facing the most catastrophic drought since 1950.

11 May 2017

> UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson meets the sQuid Kenya team during visit to East Africa

As part of his three day tour of east Africa, the UK's Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, the Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, attended a Technology and Innovation event, held at the High Commissioner's residence in Nairobi.

17 March 2017

> Celebrating International School Meals Day

Today we’re celebrating international school meals day to raise awareness of good nutrition for all children, regardless of their circumstances.

9 March 2017

> What happens when aid is given as direct cash transfers?

What is the best way of ensuring aid money is used effectively and efficiently? In Kenya, charities are experimenting with direct cash transfers, allowing individual recipients to spend the money on whatever they like.

1 March 2017

> Briefing on Cash Transfers for the International Development Committee, submitted by members of the Cash Learning partnership (CaLP)

The Independent Commission on Aid Impact recently concluded that cash-based programming delivers strong development results and represents excellent value for money for the UK taxpayer.

2 February 2017

> The effects of DFID’s cash transfer programmes on poverty and vulnerability

UK aid is succeeding in alleviating extreme poverty through its support for cash transfer programmes.

ICAI examined how well the Department for International Development (DFID) used cash transfer programmes to reduce poverty and vulnerability. The review found that the transfers...

12 January 2017

> sQuid’s response to the recent criticism of cash transfer programming

There was well publicised criticism in the media last week targeting cash transfers and their effectiveness to deliver well needed aid to the world’s poorest.

9 January 2017

2016

> sQuid's iMlango programme featured on BBC News

The UK's Department for International Development has announced £100m of funding to help 175,000 of the world's poorest girls get an education. The push will include smartcards that monitor attendance and offer incentives for families to send their daughters to school.

07 July 2016

> 'Chaos' surrounding school payment systems

There’s been a good deal of negative comment and press in recent weeks concerning the performance of some payment service providers who offer online services for schools to enable parents to pay for school meals and other activities. Poor service levels have resulted in money not being available for children at school, and additional administration by schools in managing the return of funds.

01 July 2016

> Reflections on the World Humanitarian Summit

After two days in Istanbul listening to government undertakings and speaking with many humanitarian actors, alongside some 5,000 other participants - I have been reflecting on the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS).

26 May 2016

> sQuid to be accepted on four additional transit operators in Norfolk

sQuid, the digital transaction solutions provider, is pleased to announce that it is to be accepted as a payment option on four additional bus operators, as part of an expansion to Norfolk County Council’s Holdall smartcard scheme.

02 December 2015

> sQuid to attend LACA North West Catering Expo

sQuid will be exhibiting at this year’s LACA North West Catering Expo, which is taking place on Tuesday 10 November at the DW Stadium in Wigan.

9 November 2015

> iMlango delivers world's first online children's encyclopaedia to Kenyan students

sQuid, the digital transaction solutions provider, is delighted to announce its iMlango education service in Kenya has partnered with Q-Files, the world’s first online children’s encyclopaedia, as part of its programme to evolve the education experience for primary school children.

30 October 2015

> iMlango Connecting Students in Rural Kenya

Bringing ICT into rural Kenyan classrooms has been challenging. Shipping and installing equipment has been time consuming. Reaching remote schools during the rains has been difficult. Project staff even had to work out how to stop ants moving into a server at one point. But the Girls’ Education Challenge iMlango project has successfully managed to put in place the three Cs of Connectivity, Content and Capacity.

06 August 2015

> Why FinTech is the key to a much-needed makeover in African aid

Aid in Africa is big business, but one that is often mired in scepticism. Global companies pour money in through corporate responsibility programmes, alongside government aid, which can be accused of supporting private sector ambitions...

11 February 2015

2014

> Global Humanitarian Agency concludes that sQuid is the fastest and most reliable cash transfer method in an emergency setting

Mercy Corps, a leading global humanitarian agency, has released key findings of a new and unique study which concludes that e-vouchers were the fastest and most reliable method to deliver cash assistance in an emergency setting studied in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

10 December 2014

> Removing Corruption in Aid Programmes

Last week saw the International Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) publish a detailed report on how The Department for International Development (DFID) were failing in their attempts at combating petty bribery and corruption in the countries where they deliver aid programmes.

04 November 2014

> UK 'must do more' to tackle aid corruption - BBC News

The UK government is not doing enough to tackle "petty corruption" in countries to which it gives aid, a report by a scrutiny body says.

31 October 2014

> sQuid attends the USAID Mobiles for Education Alliance Symposium in Washington D.C.

The 2014 Mobiles for Education Alliance Symposium took place October 22-24, bringing together a distinguished group of presenters and participants from around the world.

24 October 2014

> sQuid CEO, Adam Smith, speaks about Technology for Disaster relief on the BBC Business Daily programme

sQuid's Adam Smith was interviewed by Jamie Robertson on the BBC World Service Business Daily programme (from 11 minutes onwards).

15 October 2014

> The University of East Anglia Partners with sQuid to Launch ePayments on Campus

The University of East Anglia (UEA) has partnered with sQuid, the electronic payments network, to launch the very latest in contactless payment technology on campus.

08 October 2014

> UK Tech Company Delivers eLearning to Kenya's Marginalised Girls

The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) has announced a ground-breaking strategic partnership with the private sector to deliver e-learning programmes in Kenya to thousands of marginalised girls.

18 July 2014

> Mercy Corps and sQuid launch smartcard aid payments programme in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mercy Corps, the leading global humanitarian agency, is using contactless smartcard and payments technology to launch a new aid programme in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

15 May 2014

2013

> Groupcall launch Messenger v5 with sQuid ePayments inside

Groupcall, the award-winning school-to-parent communication system, and sQuid, the electronic payments network, have joined forces to create a new integrated service for online payments and parental messaging.

17 October 2013

> sQuid Launches Nationwide Cash Top-Up with PayPoint

sQuid, the fastest growing ePayment platform in the UK education sector has teamed up with PayPoint to expand its account top-up capabilities.

03 October 2013

> Interview with Adam Smith 'E-money' challenge for high street banks

Coffee chains, internet companies and entrepreneurs are posing a new challenge to UK high street banks as they sign up in increasing numbers to provide internet and telephone payments.

14 April 2013