M-KOPA is using smartphone repayments to expand digital lending

M-KOPA smartphone loans: How Ghana can access digital credit through device payments

Photo: Techcabal A Nairobi-based company called M-KOPA is quietly changing how Africans access credit, and the model could reach Ghana soon. Here’s what’s happening and why it matters for you. The basic idea: Your phone becomes your credit score M-KOPA sells smartphones on credit across Africa. When you buy a phone from them, you pay in small instalments over time—often daily via mobile money. The twist: every single repayment feeds into a credi…

M-KOPA is using smartphone repayments to expand digital lending

Since 2020, M-KOPA has built its reputation helping Africans buy smartphones on credit. But the Nairobi-headquartered asset financing company is increasingly using those devices as a gateway into digital credit. According to the company, it has now served nearly 10 million customers across Africa and deployed more than $2 billion in credit. While smartphones remain its customer acquisition tool, M-KOPA is increasingly making money from lending, …