Cellulant the African fintech company has Tuesday announced the launch of Tingg, an all-in-one, multi-functional consumer super app that will include a wide array of payment, commerce and financial services into a single platform that will revolutionize the way customers interact with digital payment services in the continent.
The pan-African payments firm has been quietly building a payments super app to bring bill payments, remittances, lending, group investments, food and gas orders in one app in its eight markets across Africa. The firm has now announced a major rebrand of its consumer brand Mula to Tingg- a unified platform that will offer all that comprehensive list of digital financial services we listed above; making it Africa’s first payments super app.
The app has been availed in 8 countries and in Kenya, Tingg has enhanced its third-party service offering from just utility payments for water, electricity, airtime and PayTv through partnerships with; KFC and Simbisa Group, (Pizza Inn, Chicken Inn and Creamy Inn) to offer Tingg Food, and with Go Beba to offer gas delivery under Tingg Assisted Shopping.
Consumers can access Tingg by dialling *369# or download the app to also create and manage investment groups (chamas) and fundraisers (Changa) for weddings, funerals, education harambees.
Tingg is Cellulant’s solution to the fragmentation in the African digital payments space, particularly in cross-border payments. As a platform that supports payments, financial services and commerce at a local level, Tingg seeks to eliminate boundaries across channels and geographies. This all-in-one app will offer an integrated and efficient user experience that is adapted to local contexts, thereby making it easier for customers and businesses to conveniently make and accept payments, as well as access digital financial services.
Ken Njoroge, co-CEO, Cellulant said:
“Recent statistics indicate that roughly 62 per cent of sub-Saharan Africans are unbanked. However, even those of us who are able to open bank accounts often face challenges such as high transaction costs, fragmented markets and inconvenient payment options. It is for this reason that we have built a digital commerce platform that tackles not only the access problem but also offers a variety of financial services and improved user experiences.”
TechMoran spoke to Divine Muragijimana, the Cellulant Chief of Brand on why they rebranded and consolidated their brands-
“Fundamentally, when you think about our vision of connecting everyone to everything, it boils down to providing an inclusive platform where commerce takes place seamlessly. Technology is making payments easier, faster and cheaper thus putting the focus on the exchange of goods and services and adding value to the end-consumer. This is what Tingg offers for individuals and businesses who are looking for a simplified, personalized one-stop-shop for their lifestyle needs,” she explained.
She also shared some insights on the importance of solving the challenge of fragmentation that fintechs, banks, and mobile operators across the continent continue to grapple with.
“ No matter how you look at the future in Africa, it is centered around using mobile technology to solve everyday challenges. According to worldbank 66% of adults in sub saharan Africa have no bank account. The impact and role of mobile continues to bridge this gap and payments as a service continues to move from being a mere in person exchange of value to being a highly accessible autonomous enabler of all sorts of services. Basically, today, everyone has the potential to be a merchant where buyers are becoming sellers and sellers vice versa. Payment gateway providers such as Cellulant make it possible for such interactions to happen.”
By launching Tingg in 8 African markets, Cellulant’s digital payment infrastructure will connect consumers and businesses to over 120 banks, 40 mobile network operators in one inclusive network allowing for interoperability that has eluded numerous players in the African payments space. This sets Tingg on the path to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation by connecting consumers and businesses to a simple, fast, secure and more superior financial services experience.