February 28, 2011

KOPO KOPO HELPS BRINGS MOBILE MICROFINANCE TO SIERRA LEONE
Hope Micro Microfinance Customers Can Repay Their Loans with Splash Mobile Money

FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE – February 28, 2011 – Kopo Kopo, a software company that operates a services platform connecting mobile money to microfinance institutions, has partnered with Hope Micro and Splash Mobile Money to bring mobile financial services to the country.

Hope Micro customers will now be able to repay their loans via Splash Mobile Money, a service that allows users on the top three mobile networks to load cash onto their phones, send money, pay bills, withdraw cash, and buy goods. As a result, Hope Micro customers no longer need to close their shops and travel across town in order to pay loan installments.

According to SD Kanu, the Executive Director of Hope Micro, “making payments at our office takes the client away from their business. We partnered with Splash and Kopo Kopo in order to make our services as convenient as possible and put more money into the pockets of our customers.”

“We are excited that Hope Micro has selected our service to help them integrate their business processes with the Splash Mobile Money system,” said Kopo Kopo CEO Dylan Higgins. “All along the way, Hope Micro and Splash Mobile Money have shown they are committed to using innovation to help improve their customers’ lives.”

Hope Micro plans to scale the service in order to offer both loan disbursement and repayment via Splash Mobile Money to all of its 16,000 customers. Hope Micro is the first microfinance institution in Sierra Leone and one of the first in West Africa to offer mobile financial services.

About Kopo Kopo

Kopo Kopo, a US-based organization, is committed to making the cost of integrating microfinance and mobile money as affordable as possible. Kopo Kopo offers a software-as-a-service platform that enables microfinance institutions to integrate one or multiple mobile money systems with their core banking software on a pay-as-you-go basis. Kopo Kopo is marketing its solution to microfinance institutions throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and is opening an office in Nairobi, Kenya.

About Hope Micro

Hope Micro was incorporated in 2002 as a not-for-profit microfinance institution. A wholly-owned subsidiary of World Hope International, Hope Micro takes a “pro-poor” approach to microfinance withits mission to provide financial services for the poor in a manner that is sustainable, readily accessible, and responsive to their needs. Hope Micro is one of the largest microfinance institutions in Sierra Leone.

About Splash Mobile Money

Splash Mobile Money launched its pilot operation in Sierra Leone in September 2009 and began its national rollout in February 2010. To date, Splash has over 60,000 users throughout the country. Splash is the first and only homegrown mobile banking service in Sierra Leone and operates on the Airtel, Africell, and Comium networks. Splash operates nationally from its head office in Freetown and has a growing network of over 75 agents country-wide.