The financial technology platforms created by e-money operators, payments providers and digital banking are enormously significant to economic development in Africa. In 2023 GSMA data showed that the GDP of countries with mobile money infrastructure was $720 billion higher than it would have been without mobile money.

But how can we maintain the integrity of financial ecosystems to ensure long-term sustainable growth over time? Our journey at JUMO has evolved from a passion for financial inclusion to creating not just access to finance for the unbanked, but providing safer and more serviceable financial choices for customers, which they can bank on, again and again.

Credit prediction that ecosystem stakeholders can trust, reliable capital returns on credit funds, and fair pricing for customers are the hallmarks of building lasting value in a thriving financial ecosystem.

The work we do at JUMO to provide enabling infrastructure for banks to deliver financial services to new markets within their own digital ecosystems, or with e-money and payments partners, is founded on strong credit risk predictive models, fine-tuned over time. In my nine years with JUMO in various roles including Chief Analytics Officer and Chief Product and Prediction Officer, we’ve worked to achieve 99% prediction accuracy on assets managed, which offers certainty on returns for banks.

We’ve also worked to reduce the price of financial products for customers by 47% since our founding. Pricing strategy and product structure are key differentiators in financial ecosystems made to last. It’s not just about profitability and market competitiveness, it’s about what works for the customer so that you have a high repeat and retention rate. We aim for and are achieving an 89% customer repeat rate in the ecosystems we enable.

Since 2015 JUMO has partnered with four major mobile network operators, seven pan-African banks and several development finance institutions to deliver next generation financial services in nine African countries. Our recent partnership with fintech business Mukuru in 2025 reflects our focus on omnichannel banking distribution that can meet mature customers where they are at. Together with our partners we’ve reached over 37 million sticky customers who are mostly MSMEs. This has enabled us to refine our credit prediction capabilities and to optimise product pricing strategy for over a decade.

In my new role as CEO for JUMO, I plan for us to continue to work hard to provide our existing and incoming banking and payments partners with the tech and business models they need to service unmet financing demands, and achieve sustainable new commercial goals. Africa is expected to drive over half of global population growth by 2050, underpinning the largest structural expansion of bankable customers globally over the next two decades.

For our partners (banks, payments ecosystems, mobile network operators, capital providers and development finance institutions), JUMO’s prediction capabilities offer a path to scale without compromising on risk management. It adds a new layer for finance providers to go wider, making it more cost efficient and better suited to the realities of emerging markets.

For the direct customers, speed and ease of access to finance is essential, especially for those running a small business. JUMO’s banking technology supports real-time loan decisions and disbursements. This enables MSMEs and individuals to repeatedly respond quickly to financial opportunities or challenges. When finance is more relevant, timely and fair, small businesses are better equipped to manage cash flow, invest in growth and build resilience.

Ultimately, it’s worth noting that customer protection is at the heart of what maintains ecosystem and economic resilience. That’s why we choose to benchmark JUMO’s business practices and social governance methodology on world-class certification frameworks such as BCorp and Cerise+SPTF. JUMO has been BCorp certified since 2022 and attained a 92.2% customer protection score from independent assessors Cerise+SPTF in 2025. We have upheld operating principles that reflect choice, empowerment and financial value from the start.

Longevity and sustainable growth in Africa’s digital financial ecosystems are built by delivering low-cost credit with strong risk-adjusted returns, rapid time to market, and world class governance.