Kenyan Central Bank Approves Payment Service License for Cellulant

The Central Bank of Kenya has granted Cellulant a Payment Service Provider authorisation in Kenya, enabling the company to expand its payments offering for businesses, banks, and consumers.

Founded in 2003, Cellulant is among the pioneer Financial Technology (fintech) Companies in Kenya and Africa at large and has a history of driving innovation through creative technical solutions delivered with a streamlined user experience.  Over the last decade, the company has evolved in its payments solutions, from mobile banking services to offering a full-stack one-stop-shop payments platform for global, regional and local businesses.

Faith Nkatha, Cellulant’s Country Manager in Kenya
Faith Nkatha, Cellulant’s Country Manager in Kenya

The authorisation permits Cellulant to continue enabling businesses to collect payments online and offline while allowing anyone to pay from their mobile money, local and international cards or directly from their bank.

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“As the payments industry has evolved globally, we are fortunate that the Central Bank of Kenya has provided a regulatory framework and environment that has allowed companies such as Cellulant to operate while adhering to the highest standards in providing payment solutions to businesses and their users. This authorisation will enable us to continue serving our customers better with guaranteed secure and regulated conditions for us to facilitate payments,” said Faith Nkatha, Cellulant’s Country Manager in Kenya.

Cellulant, a leading payments company in Africa, has partnerships with 45 of the largest mobile money operators and 210 banks across Africa and has a converged payments ecosystem that brings together a network of banks, businesses, mobile network operators and consumers. The company provides its services in 35 countries across Africa, including Ghana, Botswana, Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Africa, offering the largest and most connected payments network on the continent.

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Commenting on the state of the payments ecosystem in Africa, David Waithaka, Group Chief Revenue Officer at Cellulant, said, “A connected payment network is integral to the prosperity of businesses in Kenya and Africa at large. Because of the industry’s fragmentation, most businesses are forced to integrate multiple payment providers simply to operate on a day-to-day basis. For Cellulant, simplifying the payment experience and providing merchant tools to manage all their payments  frees businesses to focus on their growth and consequently create opportunities that accelerate growth for all.”

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Why Tingg and Cellullant Are Africa’s Leading Payments App

Faith Nkatha, the Country Manager for Cellulant in Kenya

The growth and adoption of mobile payment apps in Africa is becoming an everyday thing to the extent that it has helped boost e-commerce in the continent. This was reiterated by the awards won by Tingg, the all-in-one super payments app that won the ‘Overall Mobile App of the Year’ in Kenya at the inaugural Mobile App Summit and Awards and they also bagged the ‘Mobile App of the Year: Productivity and Utilities’ at the event held at Pride Inn Westlands Banquette Centre.

The Mobile App Awards, organised by Vibrant Digital, sought to celebrate the best in the mobile app industry in Kenya where hundreds of companies were nominated in a total 27 categories such as agri-tech, health, business, finance, education and gaming.

 Faith Nkatha, the Country Manager for Cellulant in Kenya
Faith Nkatha, the Country Manager for Cellulant in Kenya

Tingg is a single digital payments platform that addresses the complex payments needs of businesses across Africa. The app makes it easy to collect and make payments across multiple payment methods in different currencies.

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According to Faith Nkatha, the Country Manager for Cellulant in Kenya, “We’re committed to ensuring that businesses in Kenya and across Africa at large are able to seamlessly connect with their customers who are increasingly adopting digital platforms. Working with a wide range of merchants from airlines, telecoms, utility companies to banks, we appreciate that it’s our work with them in the last couple of years that has contributed to these awards” 

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Cellulant unveiled a new brand identity for the Tingg app (formerly Mula) earlier in 2021, in what the company called a season of renewal and reaffirmation of its belief that the success of people and businesses in Africa is the foundation of transforming the continent. In addition to being available in Kenya, the Tingg mobile app and platform is available in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia and Botswana.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry