Month: April 2025

Kokomlemle, Accra – April 2025: Hubtel, the leading Ghanaian payment services provider commemorates its 20th anniversary this year. Since its founding in 2005, the company has been on a mission to make it easier for businesses to connect with customers.

Over the past 20 years, Hubtel’s story has been defined not only by bold decisions and breakthrough innovations but also by our willingness to learn from failure. Each setback has served as a stepping stone toward growth.  

The brand story started with SMSGH enhancing business-to-customer communication through bulk SMS messaging which quickly gained traction across the country.

What began as a small idea from three graduates on the campus of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has evolved into a company with the potential to become Ghana’s first tech unicorn.

As of 2023, Hubtel had securely processed nearly GHS 160 billion worth of transactions and transfers, a staggering achievement that solidifies its position as the leading payment services provider in Ghana. 

Today, the company serves over 8,000 businesses, 12 million customers and works with 932 delivery riders across eight cities in Ghana. The significant expansion from just three founders to a team of 722 talented professionals is a testament to its capacity to innovate and lead in the competitive fintech space. 

Speaking on the significance of this milestone, Alex Bram, Co-founder and CEO of Hubtel, said, “Reaching this 20-year milestone reflects our relentless focus on innovation and community. It’s a moment of pride, and we are proud of the role we’ve played in Ghana’s fintech growth.” 

Hubtel has pioneered innovations that have simplified commerce through its power app, enhanced government service delivery, and improved financial inclusion. The company’s Corporate Social Responsibility arm, Hubtel Pledge, has supported significant community projects.

In 2024, it contributed to the renovation of an 18-unit classroom block at St. Augustine’s College, which includes a state-of-the-art coding lab.

They also partnered with Amazon Web Services in 2023, to support the AWS B.A.S.I.C.S Summer Camp. This further highlights their commitment to community growth, with staff volunteering their expertise to train the next generation of tech leaders. 

Ernest Apenteng, Co-Founder and General Manager, emphasized, “Our journey is not just about numbers but about impacting lives. Hubtel’s focus has always been on empowering communities, and that commitment will continue.” 

In addition to these initiatives, Hubtel was recognized at the Ghana Fintech Awards in 2022, winning multiple accolades including Fintech Company of the Year, Fintech Platform of the Year, and IT/Tech Firm of the Year. These awards highlight the Hubtel journey and its role as a leader in driving financial innovation in Ghana. 

As part of the celebration, Hubtel will be hosting an exclusive thanksgiving dinner, bringing together partners, customers, and employees to celebrate this milestone, reflect on our achievements, and look ahead to an even more exciting future. 

This celebration is for every business, customer, and partner who has been part of our journey. As we step into the future, we are not merely chasing possibilities; we’re shaping the future of digital payments and e-commerce in Africa.  

With a solid foundation and an unwavering commitment to innovation, Hubtel remains dedicated to driving Africa forward by ensuring that everyone can find and pay for everyday essentials.  

Here’s to 20 years of connecting businesses to communities! 

Let’s be honest, running a business is already a full-time job. The last thing you need is to spend extra time digging through menus, second-guessing transactions, or dealing with multiple steps. Your Hubtel Merchant Portal is supposed to make handling money easier, not add extra work to your day. That’s why we’ve made some useful updates to give you a better experience. 

Let’s go through what’s changed and how these updates will make your work easier. 

The Money Tab is Now Simpler to Navigate 

Before, clicking on the Money tab opened a long list of menus, making it a bit of a maze to find what you needed. Now, that’s all changed. The money tab has been completely reorganised, so everything related to your accounts, approvals, and transfers is now in one clear dashboard instead of being spread across multiple submenus.

This means no more digging around. You just need to open the money tab on the side navigation, and everything is right there in front of you. We’ve also added a hide balance feature for extra privacy. So, if you’re in a public place, you don’t have to worry about anyone peeking at your total balance. All you have to do is tap on the eye icon to view or hide your account balance. 

A Better Mobile Experience  

We know many merchants use their phones to check payments and approve transactions, but the previous setup wasn’t very mobile-friendly. Transaction tables had too many columns, forcing you to scroll sideways just to see basic details.

Now, that’s been fixed. The new mobile design automatically adjusts to smaller screens, so you don’t have to scroll sideways all the time for a better view. 

Transfers & Payments Are Now Faster & Smarter 

Making a transfer used to come with an extra step; you had to manually select the correct account before sending money. Now, that’s been taken care of for you.

The correct POS account is preselected automatically, helping you avoid errors and the endless scrolling when sending money. We’ve also added a required description field for transfers, making it easier to keep track of what you sent the money for. 

For bulk payments, you’ll now see the total amount before completing the transfer, so you always know exactly how much is being sent. Plus, there’s a new history tab that lets you track past bulk payments without having to dig through your transaction records. 

Paying Employees & Suppliers is Easier Than Ever. 

If you regularly pay employees and suppliers, you’ll love this update. Instead of having separate sections for each, everything is now managed from one screen, making payments quicker and easier to track.

There’s also a new history tab that records all payments made to employees and suppliers, so you can always go back and check previous transactions. 

Professional Payslip Design  

Another update is the new payslip design. Payslips now look more professional. Employees can even use them for official purposes like loan applications, making things more convenient for everyone. 

Detailed Account Statements 

Your account statements now give you a detailed breakdown of every deposit and withdrawal. Plus, you can download them anytime for your records. 

New User Roles & Stronger Security 

We’ve made some changes to user roles and security settings. This ensures that only the right people have access to sensitive financial details.

First, some role names have been updated: Super Admins are now called Owners, Administrators are now Finance Managers, and Managers are now Payment Managers. 

Along with the name changes, we’ve tightened security. Payment Managers, for example, can no longer see total business balances, they can only view transaction details.

When it comes to approvals, only Owners with approval rights can approve or reject payments. This ensures that critical financial decisions stay in the hands of the right people. 

Pending Payments Now Easy to Find 

Tracking pending payments is now a lot easier. Pending transactions have been separated into their own section so they don’t get mixed up with other payments.

Access your pending payments conveniently from the dropdown menu in the top-right corner. ​This feature is available for users who can make payment requests only. 

Easy Approval Process 

If you’re responsible for approvals, you’ll now see a clear breakdown of what’s waiting for approval. Only Owners with approval rights can decide whether to approve or reject payments.

This makes the approval process more structured and transparent. Easily access all approval requests from the dropdown menu in the top-right corner. ​This feature remains exclusively available to business owners and super administrators with approval rights.​ 

Sent the Wrong Approval Request? Now You Can Fix It 

One of the biggest updates is that your employees can now cancel an approval request if it hasn’t been approved yet. Previously, once a request was sent for approval, it was locked in, even if there was an error.

Now, if you realise you’ve sent the wrong amount, need to change payment details, or no longer need to make the payment, you can simply cancel it before it’s processed. This feature ensures that mistakes don’t turn into irreversible transactions. 

Try it Out Now!

These updates are already live, so the next time you log into your Merchant Portal, you’ll notice that everything is clearer, better organised, and easier to use. Go ahead and explore the updates.