Trulioo Brings GlobalGateway Services to Kenya

Trulioo is now offering GlobalGateway services in Kenya. The move will strengthen the company’s presence in Africa, and make identity verification technology more readily available to Kenya’s 54.3 million residents.

In making the announcement, Trulioo noted that Kenya is in the midst of a rapid digital transformation. The country is hoping to reach middle-income status by 2030 through a Kenya Vision program that includes infrastructure and digital literacy initiatives. For example, the country is now trying to educate people about various mobile services, while building fiber-optic communication lines to support higher traffic figures.

In the meantime, there is some evidence to suggest that those efforts are already translating to increased mobile adoption rates. While internet penetration in the country is only at 40 percent, those who do have a connection have proven to be enthusiastic users. Kenya currently has 59.2 million mobile connections, a number that is larger than its total population. That reflects the fact that many people will sign up for multiple mobile accounts, and are savvy enough to switch back and forth to get access to better rates and services.

Mobile technology has also been instrumental in increasing financial inclusion in the country. Eighty-three percent of the population now has access to basic financial services, with Trulioo attributing much of that to the success of the M-Pesa program. Unlike other money transfer services, M-Pesa does not rely on an app, and instead uses SMS messages and PINs to allow people to send and receive money with less sophisticated (and less expensive) devices.

For its part, Trulioo is hoping that GlobalGateway will support the ongoing development of Kenya’s mobile economy, and the rollout of its national Huduma Namba digital identity program. The GlobalGateway platform enables remote onboarding and identity verification, using face and document recognition to match a face to the image on a photo ID.

“Kenya has outlined a bold vision to establish a strong digital economy, and it has been a driving force in the fintech revolution in Africa,” said Trulioo CEO Steve Munford. “I’m sure we’ll continue to see more innovations stemming from their deep roots in fintech, as well as even greater participation in the digital economy.”

Trulioo already provides GlobalGateway coverage for South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, and Ghana. It also has a strong foothold in Asia, offering services in Pakistan and the Philippines. The company recently achieved unicorn status after bringing in $394 million in Series D funding.

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June 23, 2021 – by Eric Weiss