‘We’re aware the boda market is built on trust’
Imagine youâre running an asset financing business in Europe and think, âWhy not give East Africa a shot?â So you do the research, find the market, and discover real potential.Â
Thatâs how Mogo Uganda, an asset-financing tech company, landed in Kampala.Â
They started with car financing but soon spotted a larger opportunity in East Africa. As tech moguls like Elon Musk and Bill Gates remind us: success lies in solving problems.
According to Mogo Ugandaâs chief executive officer (CEO) Mikhail Vydryn, "boda boda owners were underserved. They couldnât get financingâno payslips, no bank statements, nothing. Banks wouldnât consider them, especially young riders.â
He shakes his head, adding, âThereâs even no data on them in credit bureaus, and so even if banks wanted to help, itâs nearly impossible.â
Traditional financiers move slowly, and these boda boda riders or what others would call motorcycle taxi drivers donât have that luxury.Â
As Mr Vydryn says, "Every day youâre waiting for a loan approval, youâre losing money."
The old-school approach forced riders to trek to bank branches, often with a guarantor in tow, paying for transportâand missing out on a day's earnings in the process.
âSo we saw an opportunity,â says Mr Vydryn. âSo many people were left out by traditional finance.â
Understanding boda riders
Before the company he works for entered the Ugandan market in 2019, fleet owners held the power.Â
Wealthy individuals bought fleets of motorcycles and leased them to riders, who paid steep fees without ever gaining ownership.Â
âRiders were just riders,â says Mr Vydryn.Â
âThey couldnât become owners, couldnât start their own small businesses. We noticed that and came high to solve it. We know how to work with these customers, understand the risks, and manage them,â he says, grinning, adding that the financier came up with an idea of charging interest based on risk.Â
With fraud and theft issues in the market, lending here isnât cheap or simple.Â
âIf you think interest rates are high, the marketâs openâstart your own company and charge whatever you want. But defaults and fraud are tough realities,â he emphasises.
He speaks confidently whilst telling Lunch with the DM the common mistake most Western companies in this business in Uganda makeâtrying to âfixâ boda boda riders instead of understanding them.Â
âThey offered a loan in 24 hours or, in seven days with a âwonderful speechâ, inviting riders in for life lessons. Boda boda riders donât want that. They just want to start earning,â he says with a shrug.
With an easy-going charisma, he tells me about the fraud risks in this business that are even being marred in businesses like the one he works for when some asset financiers fail to manage their risks well.
âA loan officer might ask for Shs900,000 instead of Shs800,000, pocketing the difference. And yet simple mistakes like this can kill a business,â he notes.
Throughout our conversation, Mr Vydryn stresses that successful risk management is the key to the asset-financing business, especially for Mogo across the multiple countries it has operated in.Â
It's not just about the model; it's about understanding the businessâand the people behind it.Â
"Thatâs how we started, and the model proved itself," he tells me with a confident smile.
Financing guide posts
To date, Mogo has financed more than 80,000 boda customers in Uganda, with more than half of them already paying off their loans and becoming bike owners.Â
With 41,000 active customers and 3,000 loans issued each month, the fintech company is making impressive strides in the asset financing sector, with a Ugandan portfolio valued at $31 million.Â
The company values Ugandaâs regulated environment, where the recently dissolved Uganda Microfinance Regulatory Authority (UMRA) provides clear guidelines, making it easier to operate and mitigate risksâa rare investor-friendly edge in the region.
Naturally, I ask about Mogoâs interest rates and Mr Vydryn introduces me to the companyâs scoring system.
âWe assess payment behaviour using data,â he explains. âLow-risk customers might only need a Shs500,000 down payment, but high-risk clients may need up to Shs1.5 million upfront. Itâs simpleâmore at the start lowers weekly payments, making the loan easier to manage.â
Here I get to know that interest rates vary by terms, product, and risk. Petrol bikes carry higher rates, while electric bikes are lower.Â
âWe reward responsible borrowers with lower rates,â he says, noting that rates range from 4.0 to 6.5 percent based on down payment and risk factors.
Intrigued about this whole idea about asset financing in Uganda, curiosity impels me to ask about what itâs like through the eyes of a foreign investor.
âItâs investor-friendly overall, even with challenges like fraud,â he shares.Â
Making inroads
Mogo Uganda, a subsidiary of Eleving Group, an international FinTech company, recently listed on the Frankfurt and Nasdaq Baltics exchanges, but operated like a public company long before by issuing bonds.Â
With electric bikes now gaining traction, firms like Mogo, Watu, and Tugende are set to grow in a market where big playersâlike Spiro, Zembo, and Gogoâare paving the way.
Electric automobiles are priceyânot just for consumers but also due to costly engineering, manufacturing, and research & development (R&D), requiring more affordable financing.Â
This is where financiers, supported by development banks and global angel investors like Mogo, step in.
Mr Vydryn believes that for this sector to flourish, it needs unity, not hand-outs. This is something he responds to when I ask him if his sector needs some support from the government to flourish since electric automobiles are new in the country.
He tells me something that is completely understandableâit doesnât make sense if the government starts building infrastructure for the private sector players because somehow it will look for a return on investment and this is capital intensive.
"With the government, itâs about one clear message. If Spiro, Zembo, and Mogo say different things, itâs just noise,â he says. âWe need to talk, face the state of the industry realistically, and tackle the issues together.â
Challenges
The lack of universal standards, such as interchangeable batteries, remains a challenge.Â
He points out that this could change, as players in the sector must come together to avoid fragmented growth.
For him, a shared infrastructure is vital to building momentum in Uganda's electric mobility sector.
âCan you swap a Zembo battery with a Spiro one? Not right now. Everyoneâs working in silos. Itâs like fuel stations overseasâcharge any EVâbut here, everyoneâs pushing their own agenda,â he says.
On why collaboration is rare, Mr Vydryn sees it as a drive for dominance: âSure, working together makes financial sense, but every player here wants to be number one, creating closed ecosystems with unique standards. They want their products, their rules. Thatâs wrong,â he adds.
Bothered by this, I try to ask him about whatâs needed for instance to have rich infrastructure for instance for charging electric automobiles if the government is out of the picture. Iâm compelled to ask because this is something that requires substantial investment, time, and hard work.
While traditional bikes like the BM100 are easy to fix, electric bikes present a more complex issue, with even maintenance resembling that of high-end vehicles like Teslas, yet on the rugged roads of Kampala.Â
There are some services for electric vehicles, particularly for embassiesâ electric automobiles but they are far from widespread.Â
Importance of trust
The ecosystem of electric mobility in Uganda includes various componentsâpolicy, financing, infrastructure, the quality of bikes, spare parts, and service networks is still in development.Â
And industry players like Mogo only pray for a better investment climate to allow them to flourish smoothly without lags.
While manufacturers and battery swapping companies might benefit from government incentives, companies like Mogo look not inclined to those handouts.Â
Instead, they desire fair, stable policies that are designed for long-term success rather than short-term gains.
As Mogoâs team believes, providing additional support can sometimes weaken the industry. Strong players should rise to the top through hard work and innovation.Â
The companyâs rapid growth demonstrates just that. It has issued the highest number of electric bikes in Uganda and has ambitious plans for further expansion in 2025.Â
Unlike some competitors who rush to scale, Mogo understands that the boda boda market is built on trust, not volume.Â
Mr Vydryn says that word of mouth is powerful in this community. Riders trust the bikes they know and trust and these are people who arenât accustomed to switching from one brand to another.Â
But he does know for sure that building that trust takes time. Itâs a step-by-step processâintroducing electric bikes gradually to different towns, stages, and areas.Â
With each step, the goal is to work closely with customers, addressing their concerns and solving their problems.Â
For instance, when a Spiro bike financed by Mogo gets into an accident, the company steps in to cover repairs. This is no small expense, as spare parts are costly, and boda boda riders often canât afford the immediate out-of-pocket costs.Â
Yet, in the traditional business model, that wouldnât happen; there would be no room for such generosity.
Despite these hurdles, Mogo remains committed to doing things right. The focus is on growing sustainably, with a deep understanding of the industryâs dynamics and the challenges customers face.Â
Itâs not about quick wins, Mr Vydryn says, but about building a trustworthy brand, step by step.
âThe real competition isnât between Spiro, Zembo, or Gogo electric. Instead, itâs against global giants like Bajaj and TVS. These are the companies that dominate the market, and understanding that is crucial for anyone entering the electric mobility space,â he adds.
While the electric buzz may excite the newcomers, Mr Vydrynâs approach is like a good navigatorâsâfocused, steady, and prepared for detours.Â
He knows this isnât just a game of speed, but of endurance in an unpredictable landscape.
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