HiPipo Money

Tourism is one of the biggest revenue earners for the East African region. According to data from the East African Community (EAC) secretariat, the sector contributes an average of about 17 per cent to export earnings and its contribution to GDP is quite substantial averaging at around 10 per cent. It generates up to 10 per cent of employment in the region. But the majority of these Tourists are international, with few locals contributing to these figures.

Nonetheless, governments and private companies are deliberately encouraging more locals across East Africa to tour and experience their region.

Among private sector players that are contributing to East Africa’s local Tourism is Safari Wallet; a Dar es Salaam based company that is using FinTech to enable potential travellers to save funds, identify, book and go on their preferred trips. 

Safari Wallet is a Travel FinTech marketplace that offers freedom of travel to Africans by connecting intending travellers to tour operators across the continent. The platform gives interested travellers a chance to book a tourism experience of their choice, agree on a payment plan and pay digitally.

“We work closely with small and medium tour operators who are operating with the Africa destinations. These operators host a multiple number of tourism experiences on our platform and give an opportunity to the locals who want to travel to plan their trip before they travel and pay flexibly,” Eid (Iddy) John, the Co-Founder and CEO of Safari Wallet said.

He added: “One can book or design any trip and then pay slowly, manageably using an instalment model which can be a weekly or monthly plan or choose a single one-off payment. The goal is to make it easy for anyone to afford to travel. Rather than paying everything at once, you can just take your time, save now and travel later.”

Once a trip is booked using Safari Wallet, there are no price fluctuations making the experience predictable and enjoyable for the tourists.

“By the time you lock up your trip, you have locked up every single detail of that deal including travel, accommodation, food and everything included in that trip. When you complete your payment, you just pack your bags and travel without any additional charges,” Iddy John said.  

Safari Wallet has embedded digital payments that enable its over 100,000 customers to pay using either mobile money or bank cards.

“If you subscribe to an experience, you can choose between paying with mobile money or a bank card. If your payment plan is weekly, then every week a pop-up will appear on your phone informing you about your payment and pending deduction off your wallet. When you accept, then the payment is completed. Going forward, we are working on a system that enables our customers to deposit money directly onto their Safari Wallet in advance and we seamlessly collect it as per each customer’s trip payment schedule. Whether you are using bank or mobile money, we don’t complete any payment without notifying you,” Iddy John explained.

We interacted with Safari Wallet on Day 9 of the 40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative for Tanzania. First implemented in Uganda, 40 Days 40 FinTechs is an annual FinTech Innovation initiative presented by HiPipo to recognize and celebrate individuals and organizations who are making significant strides in promoting financial inclusivity through the use of technology.

It is aimed at promoting innovation and collaboration among FinTechs in Africa. The initiative is designed to provide FinTechs and startups with mentorship, training, exposure, and networking opportunities to help them grow and scale their businesses.

According to Iddy John; “40 Days 40 FinTechs is giving us a chance to share our innovative solutions but also putting this information out for the government and other stakeholders to know how these industries are operating; the existing opportunities and challenges we face. It is a great initiative.”

40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative Tanzania is part of HiPipo’s broader Include EveryOne Program that is generously supported by the Gates Foundation and implemented in partnership with Level One Project, ICTC Tanzania, Ideation Corner, Cyber PLC Academy, INFITX, NG Films, Founders Academy and Mojaloop Foundation.

The Include EveryOne program is a beacon of acceleration of FinTech Innovation, empowerment for Women in FinTech and a catalyst for investment and development in the ICT sector. Minus 40 Days 40 FinTechs, other initiatives under the Include EveryOne Program are the FinTech Landscape Exhibition, Women in FinTech Hackathon, Summit and Incubator, Digital Impact Awards Africa and the Digital and Financial Inclusion Summit.

HiPipo is recognized as a premier advocate of digital Innovation and financial inclusion champion, a fervent proponent of the #LevelOneProject. HiPipo has been at the forefront, actively promoting digital innovation, Instant, Inclusive Payment Systems (IIPS), and DFS across Africa. With a legacy of advising, mobilizing, and facilitating the adoption of inclusive financial services, HiPipo’s efforts have been nothing short of transformative! For almost two decades, HiPipo has successfully facilitated the inclusive adoption of these crucial services.

Searching and finding a house to rent as a home or a business is a huge hustle involving several brokers and agents. But when you are fortunate to find your preferred house, another issue comes in.

The majority of the property owners and managers have rent agreements that guarantee them bulk payments that are yearly, half year or if you are very lucky quarterly. This requires huge amounts of cash that many people struggle to have at once.

It is such ills that Pango Africa came to cure. Pango is a home financing digital platform for Africans that helps aspiring homeowners or renters pay for their homes in convenient and flexible ways.

James Albany, the company founder notes that Pango is a FinTech that is implementing the program of Rent Now and Pay Later for salaried employees in Tanzania.

“Most of the landlords in Tanzania prefer three months, six months or one-year rent advances. This makes it hard for people to get affordable houses. What Pango does is pay for you for a full year, then make monthly deductions off your salary. We don’t send you the money, we send it to the landlords directly because we have realized that when people get money directly, they sometimes use it for reasons other than those they mentioned when accessing the credit,” Albany said.

He added that due to public demand, they have added a school fees payment element that is very beneficial to parents, pupils and the schools.

 “We are also implementing a similar model for schools where we pay school fees directly to the schools for parents that are not able to pay the school fees on time. After making the payment to the school, we let the parents pay monthly instalments to us without worrying about their kids missing school. This we call Study Now and Pay Later.”

According to Albany, some of the main challenges they are facing while implementing this business model are growing numbers of defaulters, limited data about creditworthiness, bad employer-employee contracts and trouble signing partnerships with other Financial institutions because of the absence of collateral that Banks need to recapitalize such businesses.

“This is a new business model and thus most people don’t appreciate it. Most of these government institutions and banks don’t want to go down this route because to them it is a very risky loan business, but to us, it is where we shine.”

Pango features on Day 8 of the 40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative for Tanzania. First implemented in Uganda, 40 Days 40 FinTechs is an annual FinTech Innovation initiative presented by HiPipo to recognize and celebrate individuals and organizations who are making significant strides in promoting financial inclusivity through the use of technology.

It is aimed at promoting innovation and collaboration among FinTechs in Africa. The initiative is designed to provide FinTechs and startups with mentorship, training, exposure, and networking opportunities to help them grow and scale their businesses.

“Initiatives like 40 Days 40 FinTechs are very important as they shine a light on founders; what they are doing, their solutions and what they inspire to achieve with their innovations. This helps in market expansion and learning from one another. When you follow an initiative like this one, you will know what other innovators are doing in other parts of Africa and learn from one another. Thanks to such an initiative, investors will put their eyes on this and see what is going on in Tanzania and decide where they can invest,” Albany concluded.

40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative Tanzania is part of HiPipo’s broader Include EveryOne Program that is generously supported by the Gates Foundation and implemented in partnership with Level One Project, ICTC Tanzania, Ideation Corner, Cyber PLC Academy, INFITX, NG Films, Founders Academy and Mojaloop Foundation.

The Include EveryOne program is a beacon of acceleration of FinTech Innovation, empowerment for Women in FinTech and a catalyst for investment and development in the ICT sector. Minus 40 Days 40 FinTechs, other initiatives under the Include EveryOne Program are the FinTech Landscape Exhibition, Women in FinTech Hackathon, Summit and Incubator, Digital Impact Awards Africa and the Digital and Financial Inclusion Summit.

HiPipo is recognized as a premier advocate of digital Innovation and financial inclusion champion, a fervent proponent of the #LevelOneProject. HiPipo has been at the forefront, actively promoting digital innovation, Instant, Inclusive Payment Systems (IIPS), and DFS across Africa. With a legacy of advising, mobilizing, and facilitating the adoption of inclusive financial services, HiPipo’s efforts have been nothing short of transformative! For almost two decades, HiPipo has successfully facilitated the inclusive adoption of these crucial services.

On Day Seven of the 40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative for Tanzania, we visited Settlo Technologies; a FinTech that provides Small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) with an easy-to-use POS (point-of-sale) app to help them keep their records such as sales, and expenses, accept digital payments in mobile and card payments, sell online with free E-Commerce sites, and inventory management hence improving their Efficiency, Productivity and reach new markets.

Settlo provides SMEs with real-time data and analytics about their sales, customer behaviour, and inventory.

According to Mohammed Awami, the Co-Founder and CEO of Settlo Technologies, his company is a budding start-up that is spearheading the digitization of SMEs in Tanzania.

“Around Africa, SMEs are lacking access to capital because there is no clear data available to lenders to show the financial position of the small businesses seeking capital. So, we are using data to prepare SMEs to access capital from ourselves as well as our partners like banks and other lenders,” Awami said.

He added: “In the early days, we would meet business owners who liked what we were showing them in terms of data keeping on smartphones. But the kind of businesses we are dealing with find it difficult to operate with just mobile phones. They needed something bigger and more accessible like tablets, laptops, printers and cash drawers.”

The market realities thus forced Settlo Technologies to rethink its strategy and introduce a buy now and pay later model.

“The absence of these tools was like a barrier to entry at that point. We went back to the drawing table and came up with a program where we are lending the devices to small businesses and give them an opportunity to pay in three instalments. They pay 50 per cent down payment, 25 per cent after 30 days and the remaining 25 per cent after 60 days,” Awami noted. 

Settlo is currently serving hundreds of micro, small and medium-sized businesses such as bouquets, stalls, SPAs, Salons, Restaurants, Bars and Cafes.

Awami notes that some of the biggest challenges they are facing are the absence of the right technology to support digitization, difficulty in attracting investment and public scepticism about tech solutions.

“One key area we are facing a lot of challenges is the absence of hardware. We have the technology and the software but hardware is missing. You can not digitize without having the right software and hardware. Also, there is still some mistrust. People in Tanzania are more likely to invest in traditional businesses like trading, and farming and not technologies. But there have been some very positive developments on our side and the future is bright.”

Settlo is participant Number Four in the inaugural 40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative for Tanzania. First implemented in Uganda, 40 Days 40 FinTechs is an annual FinTech Innovation initiative presented by HiPipo to recognize and celebrate individuals and organizations who are making significant strides in promoting financial inclusivity through the use of technology.

It is aimed at promoting innovation and collaboration among FinTechs in Africa. The initiative is designed to provide FinTechs and startups with mentorship, training, exposure, and networking opportunities to help them grow and scale their businesses.

40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative Tanzania is part of HiPipo’s broader Include EveryOne Program that is generously supported by the Gates Foundation and implemented in partnership with Level One Project, ICTC Tanzania, Ideation Corner, Cyber PLC Academy, INFITX, NG Films, Founders Academy and Mojaloop Foundation.

The Include EveryOne program is a beacon of acceleration of FinTech Innovation, empowerment for Women in FinTech and a catalyst for investment and development in the ICT sector. Minus 40 Days 40 FinTechs, other initiatives under the Include EveryOne Program are the FinTech Landscape Exhibition, Women in FinTech Hackathon, Summit and Incubator, Digital Impact Awards Africa and the Digital and Financial Inclusion Summit.

HiPipo is recognized as a premier advocate of digital Innovation and financial inclusion champion, a fervent proponent of the #LevelOneProject. HiPipo has been at the forefront, actively promoting digital innovation, Instant, Inclusive Payment Systems (IIPS), and DFS across Africa. With a legacy of advising, mobilizing, and facilitating the adoption of inclusive financial services, HiPipo’s efforts have been nothing short of transformative! For almost two decades, HiPipo has successfully facilitated the inclusive adoption of these crucial services.

Many businesses mainly start-ups, informal, small and medium enterprises always struggle to collect payments and later disburse funds. As such several end up doing cash transactions that are not only time-wasting but also expensive and risky.

It is these ills that financial technology seeks to cure by enabling digital transactions that are affordable, reliable and instant.

On day three of the 40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative for Tanzania, we interacted with EvMak; a FinTech that leverages technology to empower other businesses to thrive through providing businesses with business tools such as Invoice creation, payment links, and Insurance services among others.

In our engagement, Evans Makundi the Founder and CEO of EvMak noted that EvMak is focused on transforming Tanzania and Africa at large by providing a reliable payment gateway to businesses mainly SMEs. He emphasized that EvMak prioritizes the seamless collection and disbursement of funds.

“The major problem we are solving in Tanzania and across Africa is the fact that it is very hard for someone to get paid digitally. We have created an infrastructure that enables any company to get paid using local and international payment systems. We have integrated this infrastructure with multiple payment options,” Makundi said, adding;

“We provide our customers with one API point that they can connect and start collecting payments from their customers. We have created a platform and not an APP. Our platform can be used through USSD, Web and APP. We have partnered with several FinTechs around the world including PayPal, Visa and Mastercard. Our customers can also pay using their mobile wallets across the globe. We also do utility payments including small bills and air tickets among others.”

Even though EvMak has created a sandbox like environment that allows for self-integration and also has a support team in place for those that need integration assistance,  its work is not without trials..

According to Makundi, some of the major challenges they are facing include slow adaptation and low trust in technology.

“People are still used to cash transactions so changing the narrative from people accepting cash to accepting digital payments is still an issue. Many people don’t trust the digital system. We are gradually sensitizing the end users on why digital transactions are good and safe for everyone,” he said.

EvMak is the third participant in the 40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative for Tanzania. First implemented in Uganda, 40 Days 40 FinTechs is an annual FinTech Innovation initiative presented by HiPipo to recognize and celebrate individuals and organizations who are making significant strides in promoting financial inclusivity through the use of technology.

It is aimed at promoting innovation and collaboration among FinTechs in Africa. The initiative is designed to provide FinTechs and startups with mentorship, training, exposure, and networking opportunities to help them grow and scale their businesses.

“The 40 Days 40 FinTechs platform gives us a lot of advantages and helps us reach a lot of stakeholders that don’t fully understand the FinTech business. A platform like this explains and showcases what we do. Major stakeholders like regulators and potential funders usually understand us better through this platform thus enabling the ecosystem to grow,” Makundi explained.

40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative Tanzania is part of HiPipo’s broader Include EveryOne Program that is generously supported by the Gates Foundation and implemented in partnership with Level One Project, ICTC Tanzania, Ideation Corner, Cyber PLC Academy, INFITX, NG Films, Founders Academy and Mojaloop Foundation.

The Include EveryOne program is a beacon of acceleration of FinTech Innovation, empowerment for Women in FinTech and a catalyst for investment and development in the ICT sector. Minus 40 Days 40 FinTechs, other initiatives under the Include EveryOne Program are the FinTech Landscape Exhibition, Women in FinTech Hackathon, Summit and Incubator, Digital Impact Awards Africa and the Digital and Financial Inclusion Summit.

HiPipo is recognized as a premier advocate of digital Innovation and financial inclusion champion, a fervent proponent of the #LevelOneProject. HiPipo has been at the forefront, actively promoting digital innovation, Instant, Inclusive Payment Systems (IIPS), and DFS across Africa. With a legacy of advising, mobilizing, and facilitating the adoption of inclusive financial services, HiPipo’s efforts have been nothing short of transformative! For almost two decades, HiPipo has successfully facilitated the inclusive adoption of these crucial services.

On Day Two of the inaugural 40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative for Tanzania, we bring to you the fascinating story of Kilimo Maendeleo; an AgriTech and Fintech company operating as a social enterprise engaged in innovating business solutions for rural enterprises and rural livelihood with a special focus on small & medium scale farmers.

Kilimo Maendeleo provides value chain management services in digitization, communication and integration; smart weighing scale solutions and farmer wallets for visa cards and Umoja switch networks.

According to Mathew Ngwahi, the founder and CEO of Kilimo Maendeleo, the company basically solves the problem of disintegration within the value chains.

“Most of the actors are working in silos. Therefore, it is very difficult to know what is happening across the value chains. We don’t have information that will help to do targeted investment and solve some of the problems collectively in those spaces,” Ngwahi said.

He added: “Our platform offers solutions for farmers. We onboard farmers as a key that enables other enterprises to connect with them and offer them services. Banks can offer them credit services while Input Suppliers can offer them inputs. We also aggregate the farmers and deliver for them huge quantities of input in bulk and at discounted rates.”

The company’s core products and services include KM360, Longa, Cross Border, Mazao, Stawisha, Stawi, API Integration and Jembe Pesa.

Jembe Pesa is a payment platform with farmer wallets, peer-to-peer, Till, bulk payment, Jembecard (Visa & Umoja switch network), insurance products, and loan products and provides integration to banks for individual accounts opening and loan management.

“With Jembe Pesa, we have digital loans for farmers. Time is a factor in agriculture and these digital loans come in handy. Jembe Pesa score engine scores farmers and decides how much a farmer can access as instant digital credit. These loans are accessible through both the USSD and the Jembe Pesa APP. Most of the farmers use feature phones not smartphones and that is why we have a USSD code in place.” Ngwahi explained.

Kilimo Maendeleo has so far enrolled more than 88,000 farmers in Tanzania and some 1,000 sunflower farmers in Uganda, onboarded four banks whilst working to complete partnerships with ten more banks in 2024.

Kilimo Maendeleo is the second participant in the 40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative for Tanzania. First implemented in Uganda, 40 Days 40 FinTechs is an annual FinTech Innovation initiative presented by HiPipo to recognize and celebrate individuals and organizations who are making significant strides in promoting financial inclusivity through the use of technology.

It is aimed at promoting innovation and collaboration among FinTechs in Africa. The initiative is designed to provide FinTechs and startups with mentorship, training, exposure, and networking opportunities to help them grow and scale their businesses.

Ngwahi noted that Tanzania’s FinTech Industry is at its infancy stage with good movements to make the environment more conducive with a better regulatory environment.

“FinTech regulations are coming up and we have been involved. As such 40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative is a perfect way to go about improving the regulatory and business landscape for FinTechs. Without having these conversations, it is very difficult to know what FinTechs need to flourish. Initiatives like these must be more and should come up with some policy briefs for governments to consider. This space is filled with young people and Africa is the youngest continent so you can imagine how important this conversation is right now and how it can help young people to be more innovative and get employed in the innovation space,” Ngwahi said. 

40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative Tanzania is part of HiPipo’s broader Include EveryOne Program that is generously supported by the Gates Foundation and implemented in partnership with Level One Project, ICTC Tanzania, Ideation Corner, Cyber PLC Academy, INFITX, NG Films, Founders Academy and Mojaloop Foundation.

The Include EveryOne program is a beacon of acceleration of FinTech Innovation, empowerment for Women in FinTech and a catalyst for investment and development in the ICT sector. Minus 40 Days 40 FinTechs, other initiatives under the Include EveryOne Program are the FinTech Landscape Exhibition, Women in FinTech Hackathon, Summit and Incubator, Digital Impact Awards Africa and the Digital and Financial Inclusion Summit. HiPipo is recognized as a premier advocate of digital Innovation and financial inclusion champion, a fervent proponent of the #LevelOneProject. HiPipo has been at the forefront, actively promoting digital innovation, Instant, Inclusive Payment Systems (IIPS), and DFS across Africa. With a legacy of advising, mobilizing, and facilitating the adoption of inclusive financial services, HiPipo’s efforts have been nothing short of transformative! For almost two decades, HiPipo has successfully facilitated the inclusive adoption of these crucial services.

The inaugural 40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative for Tanzania has started on a high with Bizzyn; an innovative technology company focused on delivering cloud accounting and financial management solutions to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across Africa.

With a mission to simplify financial processes and empower SMEs, Bizzyn offers user-friendly software to streamline tasks such as expense tracking, invoicing, and bill management.

Founded in 2020, Bizzyn is helping SMEs transition from paper-based recording-keeping processes to digital and smart ways of doing the same, in addition to helping them source for much needed capital.

Emmanuel Kimaro, the Bizzyn founder and CEO, notes that in the past three years, the company has grown tremendously and now operates in Tanzania, Malawi and Kenya.

“We have partnered with several Financial Institutions and along the way impacted over 5,000 SMEs across the continent. Our plan is to scale to more African countries in the near future,” Kimaro says.

He adds: “We offer up to four packages. We have a starter package for small businesses like supermarkets and retail shops. We have a light package ideally for business management companies like law firms and consulting companies. We also have gold and enterprise packages for bigger businesses. Away from this, we also have Bizzy Pay which is an alternative credit scoring infrastructure.”

BizzyPay helps SMEs access affordable financing opportunities by leveraging alternative credit scoring to provide financial insights and connect SMEs to micro-lenders.

“Every small business deserves a chance to grow; we’re here to help them do that. With BizzyPay, SMEs can apply for working capital once and unlock operating capital from multiple lenders. Our platform streamlines the lending process, making it easier and faster for lenders to vet SME borrowers and make lending decisions,” Kimaro explains.  

Bizzyn is the first participant in ‘the first of its kind’ 40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative for Tanzania. First implemented in Uganda, 40 Days 40 FinTechs is an annual FinTech Innovation initiative presented by HiPipo to recognize and celebrate individuals and organizations who are making significant strides in promoting financial inclusivity through the use of technology.

It is aimed at promoting innovation and collaboration among FinTechs in Africa. The initiative is designed to provide FinTechs and startups with mentorship, training, exposure, and networking opportunities to help them grow and scale their businesses.

“40 Days 40 FinTechs is opening doors for start-ups like us to be seen across the globe, learn and scale. This platform helps to tell our story; what we are doing, how we are doing it and the impact we are having. I call upon all FinTechs to embrace this initiative,” Kimaro said. 

40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative Tanzania is part of HiPipo’s broader Include EveryOne Program that is generously supported by the Gates Foundation and implemented in partnership with Level One Project, ICTC Tanzania, Ideation Corner, Cyber PLC Academy, INFITX, NG Films, Founders Academy and Mojaloop Foundation.

The Include EveryOne program is a beacon of acceleration of FinTech Innovation, empowerment for Women in FinTech and a catalyst for investment and development in the ICT sector. Minus 40 Days 40 FinTechs, other initiatives under the Include EveryOne Program are FinTech Landscape Exhibition, Women in FinTech Hackathon, Summit and Incubator, Digital Impact Awards Africa and the Digital and Financial Inclusion Summit. HiPipo is recognized as a premier advocate of digital Innovation and financial inclusion champion, a fervent proponent of the #LevelOneProject. HiPipo has been at the forefront, actively promoting digital innovation, Instant, Inclusive Payment Systems (IIPS), and DFS across Africa. With a legacy of advising, mobilizing, and facilitating the adoption of inclusive financial services, HiPipo’s efforts have been nothing short of transformative! For almost two decades, HiPipo has successfully facilitated the inclusive adoption of these crucial services.

The inaugural 40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative for Tanzania has kicked off with a focus on tracing the journeys of financial technology stakeholders from all over the country.

First implemented in Uganda, 40 Days 40 FinTechs is an annual FinTech Innovation initiative presented by HiPipo to recognize and celebrate individuals and organizations who are making significant strides in promoting financial inclusivity through the use of technology.

It is aimed at promoting innovation and collaboration among FinTechs in Africa. The initiative is designed to provide FinTechs and startups with mentorship, training, exposure, and networking opportunities to help them grow and scale their businesses.

“For more than 40 days, the initiative will shine a spotlight on Tanzanian FinTechs that are breaking down digital barriers and transforming lives for the better. We are traversing the entire Tanzania and engaging innovators at all levels. There are several exciting FinTech solutions and each day, a unique story will be told and amplified across media to garner maximum visibility and impact,” Nicholas Kalungi, the HiPipo COO noted while kicking off this project.

He added: “By shining a spotlight on these innovators, we aim to inspire others and create a ripple effect towards the creation and dissemination of technology that enables financial inclusivity. Many startups that have participated in the program in Uganda have gone on to receive funding and support, and have successfully scaled their businesses. We even better outcomes for Tanzania.”

40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative Tanzania is part of HiPipo’s broader Include EveryOne Program that is generously supported by the Gates Foundation and implemented in partnership with Level One Project, ICTC Tanzania, Ideation Corner, Cyber PLC Academy, INFITX, NG Films, Founders Academy and Mojaloop Foundation.

The Include EveryOne program is a beacon of acceleration of FinTech Innovation, empowerment for Women in FinTech and a catalyst for investment and development in the ICT sector. Minus 40 Days 40 FinTechs, other initiatives under the Include EveryOne Program are the FinTech Landscape Exhibition, Women in FinTech Hackathon, Summit and Incubator, Digital Impact Awards Africa and the Digital and Financial Inclusion Summit.

HiPipo is recognized as a premier advocate of digital Innovation and financial inclusion champion, a fervent proponent of the #LevelOneProject. HiPipo has been at the forefront, actively promoting digital innovation, Instant, Inclusive Payment Systems (IIPS), and DFS across Africa. With a legacy of advising, mobilizing, and facilitating the adoption of inclusive financial services, HiPipo’s efforts have been nothing short of transformative! For almost two decades, HiPipo has successfully facilitated the inclusive adoption of these crucial services.

HiPipo has kicked off its implementation of the Include EveryOne program in the United Republic of Tanzania with a detailed introduction of the Level One Project Principles to FinTechs, Innovators and other Financial Inclusion stakeholders.

The Level One Project is an initiative of the Gates Foundation’s Financial Services for the Poor (FSP) program, which is part of the Global Growth and Opportunity division. The Level One Project is focused on enabling financial inclusion by meeting the needs of low-income users—both individuals and merchants—as well as the digital financial services providers (DFSPs) that serve them.

First released in 2015, Level One Project Principles are a set of industry best practices that guide countries, regions, or commercial organizations working to create real-time retail payments systems that are designed to meet the needs of low-income consumers. The principles include Tiered KYC, Availability on Low-Cost User Devices, Real-time/Immediate funds transfer, Same-day settlement, Pricing Transparency and Irrevocability.  

In essence, these principles remind FinTech players that their solutions must be Accessible, Reliable, Valuable, Affordable, Profitable and Equitable.

“In a world divided by digital disparity, the Level One Project has emerged as a harbinger of hope, charting a path toward a future where financial inclusivity is a tangible reality for millions. This visionary initiative transcends the conventional role of a guide, evolving into a strategic roadmap that envisions a world where every individual, regardless of their economic standing, is seamlessly integrated into the formal financial system,” Innocent Kawooya, the HiPipo CEO noted following a successful workshop in Dar es Salaam.

He added: “We are glad the Gates Foundation developed these Level One Project principles. They simplify financial inclusion for solutions’ designers and end-users. We are excited to be here in Tanzania and happy to work with like-minded individuals and organizations to enhance digital and financial inclusion.”

This development came on the back of the signing of a long-term digitization partnership between HiPipo and the Tanzania Information and Communication Technologies Commission (ICTC) in October. Through this partnership, HiPipo will roll out its Include EveryOne program in Tanzania with a special focus on empowering and transforming Women, the Youth and millions in the Informal sector.

The Include EveryOne program is a beacon of acceleration of FinTech Innovation, empowerment for Women in FinTech and a catalyst for investment and development in the ICT sector. This initiative is set to break new ground through research advisory, stakeholder collaboration, and capacity building for ICT professionals in Tanzania!

HiPipo is recognized as a premier advocate of digital Innovation and financial inclusion champion, a fervent proponent of the #LevelOneProject. HiPipo has been at the forefront, actively promoting digital innovation, Instant, Inclusive Payment Systems (IIPS), and DFS across Africa. With a legacy of advising, mobilizing, and facilitating the adoption of inclusive financial services, HiPipo’s efforts have been nothing short of transformative! For almost two decades, HiPipo has successfully facilitated the inclusive adoption of these crucial services.