Resources

Introduction to financing the future of smartphone access in Kenya’s informal economy report

The following is an extract from a comprehensive 15-page report into the complex financing value chain of smartphones in Kenya, exploring one of Africa’s most successful case studies in device financing. The report examines how smartphone financing has become a structural growth driver in Kenya’s mobile market, unlocking access for price-sensitive, daily-income consumers. It maps the country’s layered financing value chain—from credit providers and vendor partnerships to mobile money platforms and device security enforcement. The report highlights how financing is reshaping device distribution and digital inclusion by drawing on case studies of smartphone brands, fintech and telcos such as M-KOPA and Safaricom. It offers strategic insights for vendors, telcos, fintechs, investors, and policymakers in emerging markets facing similar affordability challenges.