Abci-Nexus, the technology-enabled holding company, has introduced Asopo Technologies, bringing its proprietary Pulse software to market as a standalone offering
The holding company also includes Bboxx, a retail and consumer credit company focussed on the provision of essential services across Africa.
Building on the legacy of Bboxx built up over 15 years, this latest move by Abci-Nexus marks a major evolution for the group and is designed to accelerate scale, impact, and long-term value creation across its markets.
Under the new company architecture, Bboxx will continue as the group’s retail and consumer credit business, headquartered in Kigali and focussed on serving aspiring urban and underserved rural customers with clean energy, clean cooking, smartphones, e-mobility and selected financial services, using pay-as-you-go and other asset-financing models powered by Pulse.
The new company Asopo Technologies will commercialise and scale Pulse, the group’s fully integrated operating system originally designed to run Bboxx’s distributed operations, into new geographies and across multiple sectors, developing a leading B2B SaaS platform for asset-financed products in growth markets.
Anthony Osijo, group CEO, Abci-Nexus, said, “This marks a new beginning for the company. This structure allows each part of the group to focus on what it does best. Abci-Nexus will concentrate on capital, partnerships and governance; Bboxx on delivering reliable products, great service, and meaningful impact for households, businesses, and communities; and Asopo Technologies on building world-class scalable software. By focussing on our strengths in each vertical, we can improve quality and efficiency, scale faster, and further catalyse our impact.”
Pulse integrates mobile money, device and asset tracking, and credit operations into a single AI powered platform, improving customer quality and operational efficiency for Bboxx and its partners. Asopo Technologies takes its name from the Yoruba word for “connection”, reflecting its role in connecting people, data, and finance.
Christopher Baker-Brian, co-founder and chief technology officer, Bboxx and Managing Director, Asopo Technologies, remarked, “Pulse has always been the digital backbone powering Bboxx’s growth for more than a decade, enabling us to build and scale distributed, asset-financed businesses in some of the world’s most complex markets. By spinning it out under Asopo Technologies, we can offer the same infrastructure to other companies. Our goal is to make building and scaling asset-financed businesses in emerging markets dramatically easier, across Africa and beyond.”
Pulse already processes millions of transactions a month, connects thousands of agents, and supports the delivery of clean, affordable energy and connectivity to more than six million people.
Representatives of Abci-Nexus’s shareholder consortium, who include PIDG (Private Infrastructure Development Group) said, “As long-term investors, we are fully aligned behind this next chapter for Abci-Nexus.
“Over the past two years we have worked closely with the leadership team to strengthen the group, sharpen its strategic direction, and position it for sustainable growth. The new architecture provides the clarity, focus, and operational discipline needed to unlock the full potential of Bboxx, Asopo Technologies and the wider portfolio. We remain committed to supporting Abci-Nexus as it scales its impact, deepens market penetration, and delivers life-changing products and services to millions more people.”
Abci-Nexus is, through its portfolio companies, already positively impacting the lives of more than six million people in seven operating markets, directly contributing to 12 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. It is one of the largest retail networks in Africa, with more than 3,000 staff across the continent and support teams in Europe and Asia.
