Why Communities Are The Future of Financial Services And Individual Finance Success
The average person is a product of their socialization, so it makes sense that being part of a community is central to the human experience. The Igbo term, Igwebuike (literally, there is strength in numbers), and the Zulu concept of Ubuntu (literally, I am because you are) are just two examples of how Africans have traditionally valued the concept of community.
Communities provide connection, support, and a sense of belonging that has proven to strengthen our individual resilience. The foundation of any community is trust. Members of a strong community recognise and value their interdependence. For the community to thrive, the individuals must do their part. Nigerians have long leveraged this trust to create wealth. From traditional savings schemes like ajo to investment clubs, churches that provide low/no interest loans to their congregation, e.t.c. Even market women would pool resources to help a new member buy her first stock. Community members give because they know and trust the people they are giving to and are confident that when it’s their turn, their community will not let them down.
Trust is also the bedrock of a relationship with a financial institution. Halo Financial Services is leveraging the trust that already exists within a community to help more people start and sustain their journey to financial freedom, using technology to make it easier and more rewarding for community members to build wealth together.
Halo offers savings, investment, credit, and other financial services as a service to communities; so that their members can easily achieve their personal financial goals.
Halo’s focus on communities is a strategic decision that benefits the company, the community, and the individual members. Approaching communities rather than individuals, to scale faster and broaden their impact. Communities benefit from a dynamic revenue share arrangement and more engaged membership. Community members can use the size of their collective to get higher returns for each individual because interest rates are calculated on the value of the entire community’s portfolio.
Part of Halo’s approach is to meet customers where they are and offer communities (and their members) multiple ways to engage with them. The digitally confident, who prefer self-service, can access both a web and a mobile app. Communities can choose to have their own app – built and managed by Halo but branded to the community – or to host their community in a branded environment on the Halo app.
The informal market, who prefer to deal face to face, have access to the full suite of Halo’s products via a nationwide agent network. Halo also offers financial advisory and portfolio management to more affluent customers with more complex financial needs.
The fintech landscape is increasingly competitive, and Halo’s community-based approach is a real differentiator and a valuable advantage. Halo’s mission is to help as many Nigerians as possible build and sustain wealth. Connecting communities to high-quality savings and investments by providing them with affordable and accessible financial management tools is Halo’s game plan.