M-KOPA reports over ZAR 370 million in credit issued in South Africa since 2023. Women make up 49% of its 105,000 customers.
M-KOPA says it has extended more than ZAR 370 million, or about $22.5 million, in credit to low-income consumers in South Africa since launching there in 2023.
Its 2025 impact report says women are driving much of the uptake.
M-KOPA, a Kenyan asset financing startup, published a South Africa-focused impact report covering customer usage and outcomes.
The company says it has 105,000 customers in South Africa. Women account for 49% of them.
The report adds that 36% of female customers are first-time smartphone users, compared with 24% of men.
M-KOPA’s model is device financing, which means customers pay for a smartphone over time using small instalments rather than paying the full price upfront.
The report is based on a survey of 452 customers and sales agents conducted by Caribou.
It found that 64% of respondents rely on their devices to generate income. About 35% said their earnings increased, and 39% said they could invest more in their children’s education.
In South Africa, smartphone prices and limited access to credit keep many people offline, even where mobile networks exist.
M-KOPA is betting that flexible credit can close the affordability gap between wanting a smartphone and being able to buy one.
The report also points to a gender angle that operators and fintechs watch closely, women are adopting financed smartphones at scale and a sizable share are coming online for the first time.
The company’s numbers land in a wider regional context. The World Bank’s Global Findex 2025 Digital Connectivity Tracker says 74% of adults in Sub-Saharan Africa own a mobile phone versus 86% globally, and 77% of those without one cite cost as the main barrier.
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