Opera, the Norwegian developer of Opera Mini, a popular mobile browser app in Africa, has integrated a new web payment platform in Kenya called OPay. The OPay service directly runs on the Opera Mini browser, a move meant to bring a new level of convenience to users.
This is part of the Opera’s $100 million investment initiative to grow the African digital economy announced earlier this year.
Designed to be a fast and secure payment option, OPay will enable not only Opera Mini but also other mobile browser users to top up their Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom mobile phone accounts, as well as pay electricity, cable TV and utility bills directly through its secure, user-friendly platform. It will also accommodate multiple payment methods, from major credit cards to Airtel Money and M-Pesa.
O-Pay’s platform design places emphasis on speed, ease of use, tight security and multi-functionality.
With so much of a community’s economic well-being resting on the efficient, affordable and easy transfer of funds, much of Africa finds itself in something of a catch-22 situation. Growing businesses in the digital age, particularly in Africa’s critically important informal sector (which accounts for as much as 60% of the total GDP in some African states), require easy and secure payment functions that help people get around the continent’s many gaping holes in service delivery and infrastructure.
Using OPay will get you something extra for a limited time. Users who make their first deposit to their Wallet will get a 100 percent bonus of up to Kshs 200. They can use this bonus to pay for services or recharge airtime on the portal.
In addition, for every airtime purchase the user makes, users will receive 20 percent cashback in the form of credits in their Wallet. These credits are the same as the ones earned from depositing money within the Wallet and can be used to pay for services or recharge airtime.
“This mobile payment technology integrated into the Opera Mini browser will help Kenya continue the highest rate of mobile payment technology adoption in the world. More than 80 percent of the country’s population with access to a cell phone use it to pay for goods and services,” says Nuno Sitima, Executive VP of Payments and Fintech, Opera Software AS. “However, the challenges of long distances, difficult terrain and large rural populations who often lack access to formal banking systems are all addressed with OPay and the reach of the Opera Mini browser. Our ultimate goal is to fuel the growth of African businesses through a simple, affordable solution that can encompass many payment methods in one easy-to-use app.”
African development in the digital age is highly reliant on inclusive solutions that enable every citizen, no matter where they live or the resources available to them, to participate in the economy easily. High penetration of mobile phones and Opera Mini’s leading market share on the continent make OPay just the solution that Kenya needs to continue fuelling its reputation as one of Africa’s leading digital innovators.
OPay focuses on developing a secure, user-friendly web-based mobile payment gateway for mainstream use. Users can top up mobile phone accounts, as well as pay electricity, cable TV and utility bills directly via multiple payment methods, from major credit cards to operator payment service and mobile phone-based money transfer service. O-Play Kenya is a privately held company and is affiliated with the Opera Software group.
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