Hollaport, a new payment-in-messaging platform that brings a mix of social media excitement with financial technology, has been introduced to drive mobile money penetration in the country.
The two-in-one app which gives its users the ability to boost their social interaction through chatting, receiving and sending of money and other numerous services was launched on Saturday at Zone Tech Park, Gbagada, Lagos.
The Managing Director, Hollaport, Kabiru Rabiu, stressed that Hollaport App was solely an indigenous platform designed to meet the needs and yearnings of Nigerians, especially the unbanked in rural communities across the country.
Mr. Rabiu pointed out that there were a lot of unbanked areas in Nigeria, adding that the platform would create the opportunity for Nigerians in remote communities to partake in the various banking transactions.
He pointed out that the journey of the App started two years ago and was borne out of the need to ease the financial transaction and increase financial inclusion as well as transfer money and make payments not only in Nigeria but throughout the African continent.
According to him, Hollaport is a Nigerian payment-in-messaging platform designed to provide both social and financial solutions to its numerous users through technological aids.
In his words: “We are happy to launch Hollaport App today. The application has two major features at the moment. It has chat and payment features but we are going to include additional features in the nearest future. We have airtime top-ups, cable, electricity, and data subscription and pay code – a technology that enables users to withdraw cash from ATM without the need to have a card or bank account”.
“Our focus is to boost financial inclusion of the unbanked and to also increase the possibilities and convenience of chatting, sending and receiving money without leaving the chat platform,” Mr. Rabiu explained.
He, however, lamented that financial inclusion has been a major issue in Nigeria with over half of the adult population being unbanked pointing out that only a fraction of the banked is using technology in their processes.
While demonstrating the functionality of Hollaport App, the General Manager, Hollaport, Micheal Olowojesiku, emphasized that the whole idea about Hollaport was to give its users the liberty to do many transactions within the platform at the same time.
Mr. Olowojesiku added that Hollaport runs on a well-optimized platform that is aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate with a seamless flow of operations.
He noted that Hollaport Technologies aims to reduce the learning curve associated with mobile applications by developing a lifestyle tool that can fit in all areas of life while maintaining ease-of-use.
“The question has never been one of when, but of how and this is the gap we intend to fill in the Nigerian market. As you know that over 85% of Nigerian adults own a mobile device, 103 million have active internet subscriptions, and a large percentage of this data size have a presence on social media. Hollaport aggregates instant messaging features with financial technology to ensure the app is as relevant as it is functional” Mr. Olowojesiku said.
Asked why the launch of the app, Mr Olowojesiku said: “We understand how important finances are to our social lives and business that is why we created an effective and easy-to-use platform that aggregates social interaction and financial technology.
“We use new technology to ensure that the process is smooth, efficient and intuitive for the perfect experience. Our customers are our priority and it is our aim to make their lives a lot easier.”
Hollaport is a first-of-its-kind platform that pushes the possibilities of the average mobile app. With an emphasis on comfort and efficiency, it brings together social interaction, business processes, donations and utility payments – all on one platform.
Users of Hollaport App can use the platform to chat, send and receive up to N100, 000, pay bills, tuition, subscription and even recharge their mobile devices within one space.
