In an era of rapid technological advancement Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are at the forefront of Africa’s digital transformation, driving innovation and digital inclusivity across the continent.
“We’re living through an acceleration of the 4th industrial revolution and are seeing an ensuing explosion in the tech ecosystem. APIs are the digital connectors and behind-the-scenes building blocks, reshaping industries and accelerating digitisation.
“Low-code no-code techniques and AI are resulting in more onramps than ever before into the worlds of software and application development more accessible than ever before,” says Saad Syed, Chenosis CEO.
Chenosis is a cross-industry API marketplace launched by MTN and is one of the companies at the forefront of these shifts. The company presents an opportunity for API publishers to get their solutions distributed across Africa and this mission led to the recent onboarding of Finch Technologies, one of the many API publishers on the Chenosis marketplace.
Finch Technologies has evolved from a bootstrapped startup to a major player in South Africa’s fintech landscape. Finch’s journey culminated in the launch of their flagship API Gathr, which streamlines Know Your Customer (KYC) and identity verification processes.
Local market leaders in the bourgeoning Fintech-as-a-service space, Finch has recently listed the Gathr API on the Chenosis marketplace. The API integrates with major South African banks, the Department of Home Affairs, and other identity verification providers, thereby enabling companies to seamlessly onboard clients, confirm identities, and collect essential information.
As a participant of the upcoming Customer Experience Management (CEM) Africa event, taking place between July 30th and August 1st, Chenosis have invited Finch Technologies to join them at the expo.
The duo will showcase the power of strategic API integrations for solving local business challenges, demonstrating business-ready use cases that speak to the transformative potential of APIs in driving growth and financial inclusivity in the African context.
The Chenosis platform serves as the key marketplace where businesses can both buy and sell APIs, fostering an ecosystem of digital innovation. The marketplace serves to connect API providers with a continent-wide audience of established businesses, as well as a cohort of young developers and tech entrepreneurs who are leveraging the power of modern digital ecosystems, stacking and combining APIs in innovative ways to turbo-charge innovation.
“Since inception, we’ve been steered by our ethos of collaboration over competition. We think there’s room for everyone, and are trying to build an inclusive, mutually beneficial ecosystem to empower developers and tech startups across the board. We invite them to come onto our marketplace and use us as their distribution pathway into Africa,” Syed notes.
CEM’s data reveals that 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for great customer experiences, and 81% of organisations consider CX a crucial factor in achieving cut-through. By demonstrating the potential for software innovations that drive customer satisfaction in the digital economy, the Chenosis-Finch collaboration is well-poised to make a splash at the CX-oriented gathering this week.
“Our collaboration with Finch Technologies exemplifies the power of API partnerships in creating real business impact, especially for African SMEs,” he added.
“Gathr is one of the APIs on our marketplace bringing big-business super-powers and capabilities to smaller players – in this case by providing cutting edge, easy-to-integrate KYC solutions that let SMEs easily integrate fintech products in ways that were previously unimaginable. This is a prime example of how the interoperability and scalability offered by APIs can open a world of new business avenues and opportunities,” he says.
“Our dream is to be a part of a larger movement towards financial inclusivity and technological advancement across Africa. Listing with Chenosis has opened up new horizons for us,” said Michael Bowren, Co-Founder of Finch Technologies.
“From our POV, the partnership is helping us amplify our efforts, and get our solutions out there. The collaboration between Chenosis and Finch Technologies serves as an invitation for tech startups and established businesses alike to explore the potential of the offerings hosted on the Chenosis API marketplace,” adds Syed.
Main Image: LinkedIn
