The app, Vodapay will be available to African consumers in a few weeks. It will offer the users a wide range of services including standard mobile payments, online shopping, and even taking out loans. This app is going to help Vodacom expand into the financial and e-commerce service spectrum in Africa.
“The world is moving toward e-commerce, and while leveraging off what we already have we also need to grow that side.”
Shameel Joosub, CEO of Vodacom
Vodacom’s partnership with Alipay comes after four years since they discontinued its M-PESA mobile money services after a failure to create a large customer base.
The upcoming super-app is expected to cater to a larger audience with a myriad of capabilities including online purchases, bill payments, money transfers, and even taxi booking services and music streaming. Along with its appeal to the individual consumer, Vodacom in a statement also said that it will also let small and medium-sized enterprises access lending, insurance, and advertising services.
In the same statement, Vodacom promised that they will deliver “a marketplace of goods and services tailored to the South African customer needs underpinned by a progressive digital payments ecosystem” for the banked and unbanked sectors.”
