07 March 2022

Pieter de Villiers

South African chat commerce business Clickatell has secured R1.4bn in funding, the company said.

The company sits within the chat economy and boasts 7.7 billion users compared to 4.7 billion internet users. Since its launch, Clickatell boasts one of the largest messaging-as-a-service footprints globally and fastest growing mobile pre-paid networks, serving more than 28 000 companies across 960 mobile operators in more than 220 countries and territories

This fintech powers businesses to connect, interact and transact with consumers anytime, anywhere in chat. Clickatell’s platform powers mobile messaging/ CPaaS (Communications Platform as a Service) and payments within chat.

“In 2019, Clickatell was the first to launch chat banking, bringing banking services functionality to chat channels,” said Pieter de Villiers, co-founder and chief executive, Clickatell. “Our successes would not be possible without the trust and collaboration of our customers, some of Africa’s largest and most successful companies in the world. We look forward to working with businesses and financial institutions across the continent to enable Chat Commerce, the future of digital commerce and engagement. Soon, every consumer in Africa will engage family and friends via chat plus connect, interact and transact with the brands they love through their favourite chat platform.”

Clickatell serves more than 10,000 customers, many of which are Fortune 500 companies and leading global brands such as Coca Cola, Deloitte, GT Bank, Booking.com, GoDaddy, IKEA, Novartis, Standard Bank, Tangerine, Telegram, US Foods, Visa, Zipcar, Capitec and others.