• SMICO SA launched SMICO Money, a USSD-based service accessible without Internet, to expand digital finance in DR Congo.
• The product integrates with Orange, Airtel and Vodacom, enabling money transfers, bill payments, and airtime purchases.
• SMICO targets doubling its customer base by end-2025 after 97% of its clients already adopted digital solutions.

SMICO SA, a Congolese microfinance company, launched a new digital product called SMICO Money on September 27 in Lubumbashi. The company said the service is simple and accessible through the USSD code *440033#, allowing users to conduct financial transactions without Internet access.

The innovation responds to local realities as mobile Internet penetration in DR Congo stood at only 35.3% in the first quarter of 2025, according to the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPTC). SMICO said the launch fits into its 2023–2027 strategy, which aims to digitize services and simplify the customer experience with tailored solutions.

SMICO partnered with Orange, Airtel, and Vodacom, the three largest telecom and Mobile Money operators in the country. Clients can transfer funds between SMICO accounts and operator wallets, withdraw money from agents, buy airtime, subscribe to Internet packages, check balances, make transfers, and pay TV subscriptions including Canal+, Bluesat, Eazy TV, and Startimes. SMICO said all services remain accessible through the USSD code even during bank holidays or agency closures.

In addition to its 105 agents, SMICO will leverage the operators’ networks nationwide to improve liquidity. The company highlighted the importance of this interconnection in eastern DR Congo, where several banks shut down. Since January 2025, Goma and Bukavu, where SMICO operated two strategic branches, have been under M23 occupation. In these areas, mobile operators’ agents have become the primary financial service providers.

SMICO said customers must visit an agency to subscribe to the service. In areas where branches are closed, the institution provides remote support through a call center.

The new service expands SMICO’s digital portfolio, which already includes SMICO Mobile, a secure transaction app, SMICO Web for online account management, and SMICO WhatsApp Banking. According to its 2024 annual report, more than 80,000 clients had already adopted digital services, representing over 97% of its customer base.

SMICO said the diversity and simplicity of SMICO Money will help broaden its customer base and support its ambition to double its portfolio by the end of 2025.

This article was initially published in French by Timothée Manoke

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum