Formed in 2019, Infibranches began life as a financial services company focused on boosting financial access in rural and peri-urban areas in Nigeria, and in doing so struck upon an important correlation.
The startup’s flagship product, Omni Branches, was built to aid agents that cater to last-mile service delivery, thus creating access on behalf of service providers in unserved and under-served communities.
It is especially focused on the renewable energy sector, where it has aggregated around 50 solar home system companies and mini-grids, thereby extending their services to the millions of Nigerians that are off-grid while also enabling access to financial services.
Infibranches’ API infrastructure acts as a single point of integration (SPOI) to facilitate payments for all these service providers.
This helps solar, energy, and utility providers to transition millions of households to solar, providing people with clean energy access, bringing them closer to financial access, saving them money, and protecting the planet.
To reach people, payment and distribution problems need to be fixed, which is what Infibranches is striving to do.
The startup is already active across all 36 states of Nigeria and has served over one million customers.
Infibranches’ single payment integration solution for solar providers helps facilitate payment collection through agent networks across the country while taking energy and financial access to the last mile.
The All On investment is meant to aid the company’s mission to bridge the energy distribution gap in underserved rural and peri-urban areas of Nigeria.
InfiBranches is currently the only company in the fintech space that has built a secure platform that serves as a single point of integration for payments and other financial services for service providers in the Nigerian renewable energy sector.
The platform also supports agent banking businesses, enabling them to provide services such as cash payments and withdrawals, money transfers, utility, and telco payments, to name a few.
How it Works
Their flagship product, Omni Branches, was built to accelerate trust across several value chains while aiding the aggregation and distribution of financial and non-financial (renewable energy) services to end-users through a network of agents within strategic locations in rural and peri-urban areas.
Service providers can also rely on our widespread agent network to increase the reach of their green energy services and promote their businesses in new places via a Single Point of Integration (SPOI) simultaneously, increasing reach and accessibility.
Infabranches Fintech has developed a payment system that helps to facilitate payment collection for providers of solar home systems and mini-grid developers through a network of agents across Nigeria. This includes banks and mobile money agents across the payment value chain.
Fazipay
The following services are available at any Fazipay Agent Location:
- Cash-out services (Withdrawal of funds from own account)
- Airtime recharge (MTN, GLO, 9mobile, Airtel)
- Payment collection( POS for merchants and businesses)
- Solar power subscription payment (off-grid electric, BBox, Green Planet, Oolusolar, etc)
- Bills payment/settlement (electricity bill, water bill, Waste bill, DStv, GOtv, Startimes, active, Local and State government levies/taxes, estate permits, etc.)
- Payments – for goods purchased online, airline tickets, embassies, etc.
- Cardless withdrawal (Receive money from anybody nationwide without a Bank Account)
Fazipay services can be used by everybody Companies with large distribution networks Government Service Outlets e.g;
- Post Offices
- Artisans
- Small businesses and traders
- Self-employed individuals
- Students
- Service providers and professionals
- Everyone who requires access to basic financial services.
Fazipay is focused on extending financial services to the served, underserved, and financially-excluded.
Fazipay agents are grouped into three categories and the requirements differ for each category.
Institutions, Companies, SMEs, individuals, etc can become OmniBranches Agents upon registration and submission of the required documents.
The categories include:
- agent,
- sub-super agent
- and super agent
Agents include: Individuals and unregistered businesses
Sub-super-agent: Individuals /businesses with agents under them (5 to 10 outlets) e.g. MSMEs, mom-and-pop shops, salons, supermarkets, chemist shops, and grocery stores.
Super agents, Big businesses like petrol stations, pharmacy chains, Restaurants (eateries), Institutions with structures like MFBs, and businesses that have (manage) existing agent outlets.
Existing businesses that have a reasonable amount of human traffic in their outlets.
In addition, you must have a physical location that is easily accessible to people as well as an acceptable means of identification.
For corporate entities and institutions, business registration/incorporation documents are required.
Agents provide the following services process transactions such as:
- Withdrawals
- Bill payments
- Provide customer service and support to customers.
- Educate customers about Fazipay services.
- Make bill payments and purchase airtime on behalf of customers.
- Act as correspondence and pick-up points for customers of the services you provide.
The Single Point of Integration (SPOI)
The Single Point of Integration (SPOI) is a digital aggregation platform that gives you access to renewable energy products and services.
The Green Energy Plug helps energy buyers, providers, and generators meet – follow the energy market, and transact.
They allow you to use their APIs to meet market demand for the supply of green energy for purchase and payment on your apps or web services.
SPOI provides developers with the tools they need to create easy, seamless, and accessible experiences for their users looking to purchase renewable power.
Founders
Olusola Owoyemi
Olusola Owoyemi is the Chief Executive Officer at Infibranches Technologies.
He is a results-driven, talented, and accomplished project, product, and process strategist with extensive skills and experience in the areas of Product management, Project management, Information technology, Business Analysis, Training, and Corporate leadership.
Olusola is a proactive consultant with a proven ability to direct business operations and technology programs, and adept at formulating and implementing business procedures.
He is also experienced in planning and leading teams for complex projects from initial planning, analysis, and documentation through implementation, training, quality review, and enhancements.
In addition, Olusola has a great ability to liaise between technical and nontechnical teams, and he is particularly adept at understanding clients’ business process requirements and applying the appropriate solution to facilitate their satisfaction.
He has excellent communication, business presentations, persuasion, and analytical skills.
Investors & Funding Rounds
All-On
Infibranches Technologies Limited on Monday said it has secured $2 million in funding from All On, an impact investment company backed by oil major Shell.
The company has served over a million customers and has processed over $120 million in transactions.
It makes revenues through revenue sharing on every successful transaction, as agreed with its partners.
The All On investment is meant to aid the company’s mission to bridge the energy distribution gap in underserved rural and peri-urban areas of Nigeria.
All On’s funding will trigger the next phase of Infibranches’ growth by financing inventory, agent acquisition, product, and technology development as well as providing working capital.
Infibranches plans to distribute Solar Home Systems for households and commercial users across Nigeria with a special focus on the Niger Delta.
The company will speed up its customer acquisition in current markets, improve existing products like Omnibranches, and introduce new products and services to address energy distribution issues.
Main Competitors
Brighte: This is a sustainable energy technology platform, offering sustainable energy financing solutions and energy for the home.
LianLian Pay: It is a cross-border payment solution provider.
Middletrust: This is Africa’s most reliable escrow payment service provider.
Related:
Jumuisha: Story, Founders, Investors & Funding Rounds
