Just days after raising $20 million from Lendable, Finclusion Group has acquired HelloHR, a South African payroll software startup, in a move that will Finclusion Group provide holistic financial wellness products through employers, access to its wage-streaming, financial wellness and insurance products.
In a statement, Finclusion CEO Timothy Nuy said the acquisition marks the start of a symbiotic partnership that enhances both companies’ individual product offerings. “HelloHR will a contribute to the Finclusion Group platform, strengthening all offerings through improved customer experience and increased customer retention rates. The relationship allows the Group to provide employers in SmartAdvance access to payroll services.”
Finclusion Group is enhancing financial inclusion in Africa by building transformative financial technology services focused on high-growth market segments, providing world-class customer experiences. Finclusion Group businesses leverage its credit, risk and technology expertise to grant financial services safely and easily using advanced, proprietary AI algorithms.
Finclusion Group’s current key focus areas are financial wellness, credit scoring and direct lending, operating through the brands Fractal Labs, smartadvance, niftycredit, niftycover, TrustGro and Click2Pay in South Africa, Eswatini, Kenya, Namibia and Tanzania.
Bernard Bravenboer, Founder of HelloHR says that the value provided by the combination of infrastructure of payroll administration and employee benefits is typically only seen in large corporate organisations. “This partnership democratises access to financial wellness products and access to earned wages, and can give a much-needed boost to the employee experience. We know that small and medium businesses are the future of South Africa, and this is where we can play our part.”
HelloHR provides a cloud-based payroll solution connecting accountants, organisations, and employees and works closely with Xero, the leading cloud-based accounting software in South Africa. Accessible through a web application, the tool automates the payroll process including the necessary leave and tax adjustments, thus saving time and reducing the chance of human error. In addition, the intuitive user interface provides a platform for administrators to relay all payroll-related information, with tailored user experiences designed specifically for each access level.
Global leaders such as Gusto and Zenefits have successfully achieved Unicorn Status on the back of building strong payroll and benefits businesses — in Africa, there is a huge opportunity as the space remains largely fragmented and underserviced. HelloHR is well-positioned to become a leading wage-streaming distribution platform — as many of the employers on the continent are still under legacy payroll systems, making it hard for pure-play lending firms to offer tailored solutions.