Helios portfolio company TPAY enters into partnership with AIM-listed platform
Helios Investment Partners’ portfolio company TPAY Mobile, the full-service digital payments platform for the Middle East, Africa and Turkey, has entered into a strategic partnership with Bango Plc, the AIM-listed global platform for data-driven commerce.
The partnership with TPAY Mobile opens up a market of 1.5 billion people for Bango-connected merchants. TPAY Mobile has built extensive coverage across Africa, the Middle East and Turkey, which are fast growing and distinctly “mobile first” areas of the world. This additional access to customers is now part of the Bango ecosystem and is available to merchant partners through their existing Bango API connection.
Many of the countries that are opened-up through this partnership have been comparatively complex to develop in the past. This partnership fast-tracks access to the region for Bango and its partners, providing local presence, regional expertise and regulatory know-how, along with the ability to collect and settle funds and a range of other capabilities that will generate significant new opportunities for growth.
Bango achieved early success in the Middle East and Africa, with Google, Amazon, Samsung and Microsoft business launched in several countries for mobile wallets and carrier billing. To scale successfully across this vast region requires localisation of business processes and adoption of local regulations. The goal of building globally and operating locally can now be realised through this strategic partnership.
TPAY has successfully brought leading regional developers and content providers to market, providing payment coverage in local markets. As these merchants grow, they will benefit from access to the Bango Platform to reach customers worldwide. Global players who have been early entrants into the region working with TPAY – for example Unity, Huawei, PUBG and Tencent – can now capitalise on the Bango Platform to expand into other parts of the world. These merchants will also be able to actively market to paying subscribers using Bango Audiences as TPAY MOBILE become the latest channel partner for Bango Audiences.
Commenting on the announcement, Bango CEO Paul Larbey said: “This partnership significantly increases the value of the digital commerce ecosystem for Bango customers. It accelerates access for Bango customers into many fast growth markets, and takes Bango closer to a key goal – to put people at the centre of commerce by enabling financial inclusion for everyone.”