Hello Paisa, an offering from leading service provider Hello Group has been announced as a semi-finalist in the 2016 African Start-up Challenge hosted by Innotribe.
Hello Paisa is a mobile phone based international money transfer service that allows migrants in South Africa to send money all across the globe.
Hello Paisa was shortlisted from 89 applications in total and judges measured the applicant’s ability to not only provide a pioneering innovation for the future of the financial industry but also its ability to execute.
As a successful semi-finalist, the team will have complimentary coaching sessions with seasoned entrepreneurs who will give them sound advice ahead of the formal pitches in Mauritius on 18 May, during the SWIFT African Regional Conference.
“Africa has a wealth of knowledge and we should not just be influenced by global trends but lead in setting the agenda on a global platform,” says Hello Group CEO Nadir Khamissa.
The Start-up Challenge, which is running for the third consecutive year, sets the pace for the local and global agenda in the fintech space, and serves as an opportunity for knowledge sharing and engaging with industry counterparts.
An enriching involvement will see the best three African final start-ups being invited to Sibos, SWIFT’s annual global financial services conference, taking place from 26-29 September in Geneva. Here the successful three finalists will have the opportunity to engage with fintech experts, sharing their innovative insights, and in addition they will receive a $10 000 cash prize each.
Hello Paisa MD Ahmed Cassim says: “We are honoured to be part of this tremendous platform amongst game changers, and believe as an organisation, we can contribute to advancing the industry.”