Two Zimbabwean startups, Flexid and Uhuru Wallet, recently launched a platform that offers digital identity and remittance services to migrants living and working in South Africa. The two startups hailed what they’ve described as the “first cross-chain collaboration between the two companies.”
Harnessing the Benefits of the Blockchain
The Zimbabwean blockchain startup Flex ID and the South Africa-based Whatsapp remittance platform, Uhuru Wallet, recently said they have launched a platform that offers “combined digital identity and remittance services to millions of Zimbabwean immigrants in South Africa.”
In a statement shared with Bitcoin.com News, the two startups hailed what they described as the “first cross-chain collaboration between the two companies.” As revealed in the statement, Flex ID, which was co-founded by Victor Mapunga, harnesses the Algorand blockchain, while the Uhuru Wallet is built on the Stellar blockchain.
Remarking on the two startups’ joint solution, Trust Jakarasi, the CEO and founder of Uhuru Wallet, said:
We are excited to partner with FlexID to offer our customers a more streamlined and secure remittance experience. By combining our strengths in digital identity and remittance services, we can better serve the needs of Zimbabwean immigrants in South Africa.
Some of the challenges which the two startups are hoping to overcome via the new partnership include “providing a seamless and secure remittance experience” for Zimbabwean immigrants. Through this working arrangement, the startups also hope to handle or overcome the problem of high sending fees, limited access to formal financial services, as well as identity verification issues.
Limited Access to Financial Services
Mapunga, in the meantime, spoke of the virtues of blockchain as well as the importance of deploying the technology.
“By leveraging blockchain technology, we can provide a secure and efficient way for users to verify their identity and access financial services, no matter where they are,” the CEO of Flex ID insisted.
Although South Africa is ranked among the biggest senders of remittances in sub-Saharan Africa, it costs anywhere between 5% and 20% to send money to Zimbabwe when using registered money transfer agencies. This, in turn, forces many Zimbabwean migrants to use alternatives such as couriers or unregistered remittance platforms.
The emergence of a blockchain-based solution widens options for Zimbabwe migrants and will likely help drive down the average cost of remitting funds.
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Author: Terence Zimwara
